BAGHDAD, April 13 (Xinhuanet) -- An American held hostage by militant groups appeared on TV on Wednesday, calling on his country to withdraw troops from Iraq and make efforts to save his life.

    There was no immediate comment from the American embassy in Iraq about the footage, aired by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel.

    The man, surrounded by three masked gunmen, sat behind a wood desk and asked Washington to "start a dialogue with the resistance in Iraq," according to al-Jazeera.

    The channel said the captive, possibly the US contractor kidnapped two days before, urged the US forces to pull out from Iraq immediately.

    Wearing a light color shirt, the man held what looked like his passport in one hand and a photo identification (ID) in the other hand.

    The US embassy in Iraq has said an American contractor responsible for a project in Iraq was abducted near Baghdad on Monday. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

    Over 200 foreigners have been abducted in Iraq since the toppling of former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. Most of the hostages were released, but many were killed by their captors.

    One of the brutally killed US hostages was Nick Berg, a civilian businessman beheaded by the al-Qaida group in Iraq last May. Enditem