A group linked to Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq, also killed a Turkish hostage, according to Islamist Web sites which showed a videotape Monday of the killing.

Muslim leaders including top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemned the car bombings that were timed for Sunday evening church services in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul. The attacks were the first on churches of the minority Christian community since the start of a 15-month insurgency.

"There is no shadow of a doubt that this bears the blueprint of Zarqawi," said national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie.

"Zarqawi and his extremists are basically trying to drive a wedge between Muslims and Christians in Iraq. It's clear they want to drive Christians out of the country," he told Reuters.

The Jordanian-born militant has claimed responsibility for many major car bombings in Iraq since Saddam Hussein was ousted last year and also the killing of several foreign hostages among dozens seized in recent months.

TURK EXECUTED

In the videotape of the Turk's execution, a masked man shot the hostage while he was seated in a chair. When he fell to the ground, the gunman shot him twice more with a pistol while shouting "God is Greatest."

The Turkish captive, dressed in a shirt and trousers, earlier identified himself on the tape as Murat Yuce from Corum.

Before being shot, he urged Turkish firms to leave Iraq.

"I saw American oppression in Iraq with my own eyes. But I stayed here to earn a bit of money," he said.

It was not clear when or where Yuce was kidnapped.

Meanwhile, negotiations to secure the release of three Indian hostages held in Iraq resumed yesterday after their employer Kuwaiti company re-established contacts with Iraqi negotiator Sheikh Hisham Al Dulaimi and the "outlook" to free them "remains positive".

"We have been informed through our embassies in Baghdad and Kuwait that contact has been maintained between Sheikh Al-Dulaimi and the KGL company (that has employed the three Indians) and negotiations are continuing this morning," Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed told reporters after a meeting of the Crisis Management Group.

Dulaimi was on Sunday quoted as having stated that he was pulling out of the negotiations as he had failed to reach an agreement with KGL.

"We remain hopeful that these negotiations will come to a successful conclusion but we have to remain patient. The Government is continuing with all its efforts to seek the early release of the hostages and their safe return. The outlook remains positive," Ahamed said.

The minister also reiterated the government's advise to Indian citizens to refrain from travelling to Iraq and said New Delhi was in touch with the governments of Kuwait and Jordan to prevent this.

"We have already contacted the embassies in Kuwait and Jordan in Delhi to seek their cooperation in preventing the movement of Indian nationals across their borders to Iraq," he said.

(REUTERS, PTI, AFP)