Gunmen abducted a British journalist from his hotel in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Thursday night, according to reports.

They threatened to kill him if US forces did not pull out from the holy city of Najaf in 24 hours, according to witnesses and a videotape released on Friday.

The tape showed a hooded man standing next to the journalist, who works for The Sunday Telegraph.

"I'm a journalist, I just write about what is happening in Iraq ...(I'm) James Brandon from The Sunday Telegraph," the hostage said.