DUBAI, March 11: Islamist militants threatened to attack Germany and Austria if they do not pull their troops out of Afghanistan, in a statement read out on Sunday by a masked man on an Al Qaeda linked website.

“Germany's participation in the US war on Islam and Muslims will lead only to... endangering Germany itself,” said the video statement whose authenticity could not be verified.

“We wonder where Germany's interest lies in throwing 2,750 troops (to Afghanistan)... to fight in defence of the lies of (President George W.) Bush and his gang,” read the masked man seated in a makeshift studio on the so-called Voice of the Caliphate website.

“In standing by the United States... you have provoked those whom you call terrorists to target you,” the man said in Arabic, with a German translation appearing on the screen as the flags of Germany and Austria appeared in front of a burning background.

With pressure mounting on Berlin, a militant Islamist group in Iraq has threatened in a videotape showing two purported German hostages to execute them if Germany keeps its troops in Afghanistan.

The Kataeb Siham al-Haq (Righteous Arrows Battalions) said in the tape posted on Saturday on an Islamist website: “We give the German government 10 days from the date of this statement to announce and start the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan.

“Otherwise, you will not even see one corpse for these two agents,” said one of three masked gunmen who appeared standing behind the purported hostages.

Berlin confirmed on Feb 12 that two German citizens had been missing in Iraq for a week.

Sunday's statement also threatened to attack Austria if its government did not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

“Austria was and still is one of the safest countries in the world... But if Austria came on to the list of countries targeted by the mujahideen, the situation will change,” it said.

“To Austria we say: Your troops in Afghanistan do not represent a real force or a real threat to our brothers, the mujahideen, but they represent important support for Bush and his gang,” it added.

Addressing the Austrian government, the statement said: “Don't destroy the security of a whole country, just for five soldiers you have sent to Afghanistan.” “This war is not yours. This war is between the mujahideen and America”.—AFP