KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban has set the
eighth deadline for executing some South Korean hostages, which would last until
4:00 p.m. (1130 GMT) on Monday, a purported Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said
Monday.
People carry a coffin containing the body of Bae
Hyung-Kyu, a South Korean hostage who was killed by Afghan kidnappers on
July 25, at Anyang hospital near Seoul July 30, 2007. The body of Bae
Hyung-Kyu was transported to Incheon International Airport on
Monday.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery
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"At the request of Afghan and South Koran
authorities, we have extended the deadline once again," Ahmadi told Xinhua from
an undisclosed place, adding "we will decide what to do after that."
The seventh deadline for the hostages expired at
12:00 p.m. (0730 GMT) on Monday, but there was no word of execution of the
hostages.
Meanwhile, Alishah Ahmadzai, police chief of Ghazni
province, where the hostages are being held, said no progress has been made in
the talks and the Afghan government has asked the Taliban to extend the deadline
for another two days.
Taliban militants have stuck to the exchange of South
Korean hostages for Taliban prisoners, but the Afghan government apparently is
reluctant to release them.
A total of 23 South Koreans were kidnapped by Taliban
militants on a road in the central Ghazni province on July 19. One male hostage
was executed by Taliban insurgents on July 25.
SEOUL, July 30 (Xinhua)-- South Korean official said here Monday that
South Korea has never considered using military measures to resolve the
kidnapping issue in Afghanistan. Full
story
People carry a coffin containing the body of Bae
Hyung-Kyu, a South Korean hostage who was killed by Afghan kidnappers on
July 25, at Anyang hospital near Seoul July 30, 2007. The body of Bae
Hyung-Kyu was transported to Incheon International Airport on
Monday.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery
>>>
