Captors holding five Britons in Iraq have demanded that Britain pull all its forces from the country, posting a videotape showing a bearded, haggard-looking victim more than six months after the group was kidnapped.

 

The purported hostage, speaking clearly with a British accent, identified himself as 'Jason'.

He sat under a sign in Arabic identifying the captors as 'The Islamic Shiite Resistance in Iraq'.

 

A written statement featured on the video, aired on Tuesday, accused Britain of plundering the wealth of Iraq and demanded that British troops leave within 10 days.

The group did not say what would happen if the deadline was not met or when the countdown begins.

'Forgotten hostages'

"Jason" said: "Today is November 18."

"I have been here now for 173 days and I feel we have been forgotten."
No other hostage was shown in the video.

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Britain's foreign office condemned the broadcast, saying it "serves only to add to the distress of the men's families and friends".

British officials have not released the names of the kidnapped men, and have requested their identities not be disclosed by the media.

The kidnapping took place May 29, when about 40 gunmen in police uniforms and driving vehicles used by Iraqi security forces kidnapped four security contractors and a computer consultant from an Iraqi finance ministry compound.

The video was posted as Britain prepares to hand over security control of oil-rich Basra province to the Iraqis in mid-December.

British troops withdrew in September from their last base in Basra city to an airport garrison on the outskirts.