Al-Jazeera identified the men as two Turkish truck drivers working for a Turkish company that delivers goods to US forces in Iraq. The network said the militants threatened to decapitate the men if their demands were not met.
Militants loyal to Zarqawi have claimed responsibility for a number of bloody attacks and beheadings of previous foreign hostages, including US businessman Nicholas Berg, South Korean translator Kim Sun-il, and Bulgarian truck driver Georgi Lazov.
An official at the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he saw the tape's broadcast but had no further details. The tape did not indicate when exactly the 48-hour period ends.
In another abduction, a Lebanese citizen was snatched in Baghdad early yesterday, according to Lebanese Foreign Ministry officials speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said no contact has been made with the kidnappers and had no further details.
The victim's Iraqi driver, who was snatched as well but later released, identified the Lebanese man as Vlado Abu Ghadi, director of the Lara construction company.
More than 70 foreigners have been kidnapped by insurgents in recent months in a campaign aimed at pushing out of the country international troops and companies backing US troops and reconstruction efforts.
Many have been videotaped and paraded on TV screens surrounded by armed, masked men demanding that the hostages'countries withdraw.
Mediators and officials expressed optimism yesterday for the release of seven hostages -- three Indians, three Kenyans, and an Egyptian -- held captive since July 21.
An official from the Kuwait company that employs the men met tribal leaders acting as mediators to craft an offer to their captors, and India sent a senior diplomat to help in the talks. The kidnappers have threatened to kill one of the hostages if their employers, Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Co., fail to meet their demands, including ending their work in Iraq.
The group, which calls itself "The Holders of the Black Banners," had said they would carry out their threat by Friday night, but they had extended their deadlines repeatedly in the past and appeared to have done so again.
