MANILA, July 10 (Xinhuanet) -- A senior Philippine official in charge of Filipino workers' welfare in the Middle East flew to Baghdad in support of "diplomatic moves" for the freedom of a Filipino truck driver taken hostage by gunmen in Iraq, a local television station reported Saturday.

    Roy Cimatu, who heads the Philippine government's Middle East Preparedness Team, flew to Baghdad from the United Arab Emirates to conduct back-channel talks with the captors of Angelo de la Cruz, who was abducted on Wednesday after crossing the Saudi-Iraqiborder, it said.

    Militants belonging to the self-styled Khaled bin al-Waleed Corps of the Islamic Army in Iraq have reportedly threatened to behead de la Cruz if Manila does not pull out its 51-man contingent of soldiers, police and health workers from Iraq.

    The 72-hour deadline imposed by the kidnappers will expire 2:00a.m. Sunday Manila time (1800 GMT Saturday), and a Philippine official has reportedly aired an appeal over Al-Jazeera televisionstation for an extension of the deadline.

    Philippine officials in the Middle East have also reportedly met with representatives of the Iraqi Islamic party, the same group that helped in the release of Francisco Pagkalinawan, another Filipino truck driver abducted in Iraq in April.

    In light of the latest hostage reports, the Philippine government has ordered an immediately halt to the deployment of Filipino workers to Iraq. Enditem