A little-known Iraqi Islamist militant group said on Saturday it would kill two hostages, a German woman and her son, in 10 days unless Berlin withdraws its 3,000 troops from Afghanistan.
The Arrows of Righteousness group posted a video on a website used by militant groups, including al Qaeda, showing a weeping Hannelore Marianne Krause (61), urging Germany to heed the militants' demands.
"We give the German government 10 days from the date of this statement to announce and start the withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan, otherwise ... they will not even see the bodies of these two agents," said a masked man, reading a statement on the video.
He did not give the date of the statement. The footage, posted today, showed a document purporting to be Ms Krause's passport.
German newspapers have said the woman, married to an Iraqi physician, and her son are either Germans living in Iraq permanently or Iraqis with German nationality.
Germany has said the two had been missing since February 6th.
Germany, which opposed the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, has around 3,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of a NATO force stationed there since US-led troops toppled the Taliban in 2001 for harbouring al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.