Iraqi insurgents who have threatened to kill eight Chinese hostages told the Chinese government Friday they would treat them “mercifully” if it banned all Chinese nationals from entering Iraq.The men were abducted earlier this month, and China ordered its embassy in Iraq to push hard for their release after a 48-hour deadline set by their captors for an explanation of why they were in the country passed Thursday with no word on their fate. “We ask your government to issue a statement forbidding Chinese citizens from entering Iraq and this will be considered as a positive gesture and will make us look mercifully on the detainees,” the insurgents said in a video obtained by Reuters.Full Story