A group led by suspected al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi offered a reward worth 282,000 US dollars on Sunday for the killing of Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, China Daily online reported Monday, citing a statement posted on an Islamist Web site.

The authenticity of the message, however, could not be verified, the report said.

The group blasted Allawi as an "American agent," according to China Daily. Several earlier purported Zarqawi messages had also threatened Allawi.

The United States has offered a reward of 25 million dollars for the capture of Zarqawi, its top militant target in Iraq, the report said.

The Jordanian-born militant's group has claimed deadly suicide bombings, assassinations of Iraqi officials and the kidnapping and beheadings of a South Korean and an American hostage.

Source: Xinhua