SAN SALVADOR, Aug 6 (AFP) - Salvadoran President Antonio Saca said Friday authorities were assessing the authenticity of terror threats against the central American country which has about 380 troops in Iraq.
"The threat in this document, whose authenticity has not been established, is against the Salvadoran people, it is basically not against the government, it is against all Salvadorans who want peace," he told journalists.
"First we have to assess the authenticity of the document, and secondly we must be alert," said Saca.
Local media has printed excerpts of the document, signed by a group calling itself the Mohammed Atta-al Qaeda Jihad Brigades. Mohammed Atta is believed to be the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
San Salvador is the only Latin American country to have troops in the US-led military coalition in Iraq, after the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua pulled their forces back earlier this year, following Spain's lead.
On August 17, a Salvadoran military contingent will travel to Iraq to relieve the the 374 troops from the central American country currently in Iraq.
The threat letter warned that sending the troops amounted to a declaration of war against Iraq's Muslims.
"No citizen will have security in El Salvador once the soldiers arrive in Iraq," the statement said.
But Saca insisted the soldiers would travel to Iraq as planned.
"We have a commitment to combat international terrorism and to help the people of Iraq," said Saca.