Diplomats in Baghdad battled yesterday to win the release of three captured Indians, two Kenyans and an Egyptian after their kidnappers threatened to behead them one by one unless their employer pulled out of Iraq.

The capture of the six contract workers, who were shown guarded by masked gunmen on Wednesday in video footage sent to Arabic satellite channel Al Arabiya, sparked a new hostage crisis just a day after guerrillas released a Filipino driver following Manila?s capitulation to their demands.

?If they carry out their threat it would be a serious development. We condemn this incident,? Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh said in Islamabad, where he is attending a conference. ?We hope that the dark period does not last long.?

Indian officials said New Delhi was doing all it could to secure the release of the three Indians, all truck drivers. The guerrillas have also demanded that India, Kenya and Egypt withdraw their citizens from Iraq. None of the countries are part of the US led military coalition in Iraq but many of their nationals work as drivers and contractors.

Emotional homecoming

Kenyan Foreign Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere said no Kenyans were on official business in Iraq. ?We don?t have anybody in Iraq. These are people who went to look for employment,? Mwakwere told Reuters. ?We will do everything possible to get them back home.? An Egyptian diplomatic source confirmed that an Egyptian truck driver named Mohammed Ali had been taken hostage.

On Monday, another Egyptian hostage was freed after his Saudi employer pledged to stop doing business in Iraq.

In the latest violence to hit Iraq, the US military said in a statement that marines killed 25 guerrillas, wounded 17 and captured 25 during several hours of fighting in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Wednesday. The statement, issued yesterday, said 13 marines and one soldier were wounded in the clashes but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz arrived in Manila yesterday, two days after he was released from more than two weeks in captivity. He was freed after Manila bowed to the demands of his captors and withdrew its small military contingent from Iraq a month ahead of schedule.

Manila?s move was criticised by the United States and Australia, both key allies, and by Iraq?s interim government which said the Philippines was giving in to terrorism.

De la Cruz, a 46-year-old father of eight, arrived back in the Philippines yesterday with his wife. His long hair tucked under a baseball cap, he was embraced by his eight children as he stepped into Manila international airport.

Confused and dazed

He said he was still too shocked by his two-week ordeal to say how it had affected him. ?I am still confused and I want to spend time with my family,? he told a news conference, clearly dazed by his transformation from an unknown truck driver to a household name and symbol of the eight million Filipinos working overseas to support their families back home. Washington insists its coalition remains strong despite the Philippines? decision to follow Spain, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras in pulling out of the country.

But two more members of the coalition came under fresh pressure on Wednesday, with an Internet statement from a group claiming to be the European wing of al Qaeda threatening Poland and Bulgaria with attack unless they withdrew from Iraq.

On Tuesday, an Internet statement claiming to be from a group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said Japan would face bloodshed unless it followed the example of the Philippines and pulled out its 550 non-combat troops from Iraq. But another statement later in the day, also claiming to be from Zarqawi?s group, disowned the threat.

Tokyo said it would stand its ground. The United States has offered $25 million for the capture of Zarqawi, its top militant target in Iraq. He is blamed for masterminding a series of suicide bombings and for the killing of an American, a South Korean and a Bulgarian hostage. A second Bulgarian hostage also captured by Zarqawi?s group is almost certainly dead, diplomats in Baghdad say.

Andrew MARSHALL

MORE HOSTAGES

Kidnappers say they are holding three Kenyans

Guerrillas holding a group of foreign contract drivers hostage in Iraq have captured three Kenyans, one more than previously announced, according to video footage given to news agencies yesterday. The kidnappers had initially said they were holding three Indians, two Kenyans and an Egyptian. The video footage released yesterday showed one more Kenyan hostage along with the other six captives. The video footage showed the seven men, looking tired and nervous, stating their names and nationality to the camera. The kidnappers have threatened to execute the hostages one by one unless the Kuwaiti company that employs them stops doing business in Iraq.