"The Islamic Army in Iraq has announced that it is holding two drivers, one from Bangladesh and the other from Sri Lanka, who work for a Kuwaiti company," it said.

The group "said in a statement that the two hostages were abducted before driving their tr}cks into a US base in Iraq," thm news channel said.

They are being interrogated "in the religious (Islamic) court," the group said.

A video bearing the name of the extremist group on Thursday showed each of the presumed hostages separately and a number of identification documents, including a Kuwaiti driving license.

Drivers have been a favorite target of extremist groups in Iraq, who have taken many truckers hostage over the past few months in a bid to force their companies out of Iraq, accusing them of ferrying supplies to US forces. In some cases, ransoms have been paid to secure the release of hostages.

UNB adds: Bangladesh yesterday made an appeal to the reported abductors in Iraq for immediate release of its national as Dhaka is not involved in any conflict anywhere in the world.

"Bangladesh is a peace-loving nation; we are not involved in any conflict. I make an appeal on behalf of 140 million Muslims (of Bangladesh) to the hostage takers to release the poor Bangladeshi driver if he had gone to Iraq driving a truck for his livelihood," Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan told the news agency.

The Foreign Minister, however, said: "We are not yet certain about the identity of the reported Bangladeshi truck driver. As soon as we get confirmation about his Bangladeshi identity, we will make allout efforts for his release."

Morshed Khan said he had already contacted with the Bangladesh Ambassadors in Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar for details of the truck driver.

He said: "We'll make all out efforts with the help of neighbouring countries for the release of the truck driver if he is a Bangladesh national."

AFP further adds: The Bangladesh government said yesterday it was seeking the help of the Red Crescent to check the report.

"We are trying to confirm the report and asking for help from the International Red Crescent Society," overseas employment state minister Mohammed Quamrul Islam said.

Bangladesh, the world's third largest Muslim-majority nation, opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq and has repeatedly said it would only send troops to Iraq under UN auspices.

The ministry for overseas employment had not approved any permits for workers to travel to Iraq since the US-led invasion of that country, state minister Islam said.

"If this report is true we will be seeking an explanation from the Kuwaiti firm supposedly employing him as to how he ended up in Iraq," he added.

Our Staff Correspondent adds : Bangladesh Ambassador to Kuwait Nazrul Islam Khan told the BBC Bangla Service last night they were trying to know the name and workplace of the abducted Bangladeshi in Iraq.

The ambassador also said they would talk to the Kuwait government today regarding the reported abduction.

He said Bangladeshi workers staying in Kuwait go to Iraq as their employers offer higher salary. Bangladesh embassy in Kuwait always discourage workers to go to Iraq, he added.

The Islamic Army in Iraq is the group holding French journalists Christian Chesnot of Radio France Internationale and Georges Malbrunot of Le Figaro newspaper who were abducted south of Baghdad on August 20 with their Syrian driver, Mohammed al-Jundi.

It also kidnapped and executed an Italian journalist.