All Australians accounted for: Downer
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says all of the Australians working in Iraq have been accounted for, despite claims by a militant group that it has taken two Australians hostage.
A group calling itself the 'Horror Brigades of the Islamic Secret Army' says it has captured two Australians, along with two Asians, on the highway from Baghdad to the main northern city of Mosul.
The group, which has been involved in previous kidnappings of foreigners, has given Prime Minister John Howard 24 hours to end Australia's involvement in Iraq or the hostages will be executed.
The claim has been made in a statement issued by the group in the town of Samarra, which is a stronghold for Sunni Muslim insurgents in north central Iraq.
"We tell the infidels of Australia that they have 24 hours to leave Iraq or the two Australians will be killed without a second chance," the statement said.
"The Prime Minister must announce the withdrawal personally if he is concerned about his two citizens."
The statement does not name the hostages or offer any photographic proof of their capture.
Mr Downer says further checks are being made.
"So far we have been unable to find any Australians missing," he said.
"We have 88 Australians in Iraq who are registered with the Australian embassy there and none of those 88 is missing - they've all been accounted for.
"There are four companies that employ Australians that we're aware of and they've been contacted.
"One of those companies is going to go back and clarify."
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs says it has activated its crisis centre to bring together experts from various areas to act as a task force.
A similar crisis centre was activated after the Bali bombings in 2002.
The Horror Brigades of the Islamic Secret Army has been linked to a number of kidnappings in Iraq.
Most notoriously, it claimed responsibility for the slaughter of 12 Nepalese workers in Iraq at the end of last month.
From
the ABC
Let's hope this is right, and that it's an empty threat.