SEOUL, Aug 25: A militant group suspected of Al Qaeda links has threatened to attack South Korean troops and nationals in retaliation for the dispatch of more than 3,000 soldiers to Iraq, officials said on Wednesday.

The threat by Ashap Rayat Sud (Black Banners), an offshoot of the larger Ansar al-Sunna group, was contained in a videotape sent to Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) on Monday, according to KBS and government officials.

"We will treat any South Korean troops or civilians as occupying forces the moment when they set their foot on our soil," the group said in a statement. "Once we lay our hands on them, there will be no leniency towards them."

Foreign ministry officials said that following the threat, South Korean troops and civilians in Iraq were told to step up their guard against possible attacks. Ansar al-Sunna has claimed many attacks since the US-led invasion of Iraq last year, including twin suicide bombs that killed at least 105 in the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Arbil in February.

The 50-second footage of the videotape showed a hooded man at a table reading the statement in front of a black banner and a Iraqi flag on the wall. Two other men, one toting a rifle with a bayonet and the other holding a knife, stood either side of him.

"We urge the Korean people to persuade their government not to act as pawns for Americans," the statement said. "We will use military means to prevent South Korea or any other countries that cooperate with Americans from seeking profits by sending troops to Iraq."

"We warn Korea. Don't cooperate with Americans." South Korea is deploying 3,600 troops in Arbil to help rehabilitation efforts. Under plans announced in June, the deployment was to take place in stages over several weeks beginning in early August. But the government has imposed a tight media blackout on the movements of what will be the third largest foreign force in Iraq.

The beheading of Kim Sun-Il, a 33-year-old South Korean citizen, by Islamic militants in June fuelled anti-war protests but the government vowed to push on with the troop dispatch. -AFP