Iraqi militants executed an Italian hostage, officials in Rome confirmed yesterday, in the first known killing of 20 foreigners being held in Iraq.

　　The militants who killed the Italian hostage demanded the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq and threatened to kill three other Italian hostages, the Arab TV network Al-Jazeera reported.

　　Al-Jazeera said it had graphic video of the killing of the Italian but did not broadcast it.

　　The Italian ambassador to Qatar, where the network is based, watched the video and confirmed the man killed was Fabrizio Quattrocchi, who had been kidnapped, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.

　　Three Japanese civilians taken hostage by militants in Iraq a week ago were released unharmed yesterday, but two others were kidnapped.

　　The freed captives - two aid workers and a journalist - were handed over to the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad.

　　The hostage taking was the toughest test of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's commitment to the US-led coalition in Iraq. The kidnappers threatened to kill the three if Japan did not withdraw its troops.

　　Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said the government was trying to gather information about two other Japanese an eyewitness said were kidnapped trying to film a downed US helicopter outside Baghdad.

　　(The Associated Press)