Italy confirms hostage killed

12.00pm UPDATE

ROME - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini today confirmed that an Italian held hostage in Iraq had been killed.

The minister said an Italian official had seen video of the killing.

Al Jazeera television had earlier said Iraqi kidnappers had killed the hostage and were threatening to kill three others in response to Italy's refusal to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

An Al Jazeera official told Reuters the channel received footage of the killing of the Italian but would not broadcast it.

"We have the footage but we won't air it as it is too bloody. They slaughtered the hostage because of (Italian Prime Minister Silvio) Berlusconi's last remarks refusing to withdraw troops from Iraq," the official told Reuters.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Wednesday the country would not give in to "blackmail" to save the four Italians held by an Islamist group but was working with Iran and others for their release.

Al Jazeera television aired a tape on Tuesday of the four Italian security guards snatched by a hitherto unheard-of Iraqi group which demanded Italy withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Italy has confirmed that Italians working for a US private security firm had gone missing.

The kidnappings have added to pressure from some of Italy's opposition groups for the immediate withdrawal of Italy's almost 3000 troops, but Berlusconi and his government have refused to back down.

The Japanese government today confirmed that two more of its citizens had been kidnapped in Iraq. The Kyodo News service said one of the people abducted was a freelance journalist.

A French television journalist was freed today after being held for four days. Alexandre Jordanov, of Capa Television, was released unharmed at a mosque in Baghdad.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq