Taleban Militants in Afghanistan Extend Deadline for Hostage Negotiations
26 July 2007
A self-described Taleban spokesman says militants in Afghanistan have extended the deadline to negotiate the release of 22 South Korean hostages.
Purported Taleban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said the new deadline is midday Friday (0730 GMT). No agreement was reached by the previous deadline, which passed Wednesday.
A top South Korean envoy is traveling to Afghanistan Thursday to try to secure the hostages' release.
Earlier Thursday, a Taleban spokesman told Western news agencies over the telephone that negotiations are still possible. He also confirmed that the remaining captives are still alive.
Before departing for Afghanistan, South Korea's chief presidential secretary for security affairs Baek Jong-chun said the kidnappers will be held accountable for killing one of the South Koreans.
The victim has been identified as 42-year-old Christian aid worker Bae Hyung-ku. His bullet-riddled body was found in Ghazni province on Wednesday.
South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun has denounced the killing.
He also called on Taleban militants to immediately release the remaining captives.
The 23 South Korean Christian aid workers, 18 women and five men, were abducted last week as they were riding in a bus in eastern Afghanistan.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
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