 A protester holds a picture of hostages being held in Afghanistan during a rally near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Thursday, urging the United States to engage in negotiations for the safe return of Korean hostages. / AP-Yonhap |
By Yoon Won-sup with Emal Pashtunyar in Kabul
Staff Reporter
A majority of the Korean hostages held by the Taliban in Afghanistan are sick and there are no proper facilities or medical assistance to treat them, according to the militants, Thursday.
Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmadi, the Taliban spokesman, said, ``16 out of the 21 hostages are sick and most of them are women.''
He said that among the women, two are seriously ill and might die if proper treatment was not provided in time.
Ahmadi said the Taliban were trying to provide them with treatment, but they have no proper facilities.
Asked about what kind of illness they suffered from, the spokesman said they mostly were suffering from illness caused by weather conditions and food.
However, the hostages were well fed and looked after by the militants, he added.
Ahamadi was unable to provide the names of the sick hostages but said that they had been separated into groups of twos and threes in the custody of different commanders. The spokesman said he was made aware of their illness through reports from those commanders.
Seoul officials said they had confirmed medical supplies were delivered to the Taliban through the provincial government of Ghazni where the Koreans were kidnapped. But the official was not sure if the sick hostages had received them.
Ahamadi asked the Korean and Afghan governments to come forward with a deal for the militants to save the lives of those Koreans. He said the sooner they agree to swap prisoners for the hostages, the better, as such an arrangement would save the lives of the latter.
Earlier, the Taliban had warned that they would kill four more hostages if Kabul failed to agree to their demand for the release of the prisoners. Although, the deadline ended on Wednesday, the Taliban so far have not harmed any of the hostages.
Dr. Mohammad Hashim Wahaaj, head of a private clinic in Kabul, said six Afghan health workers will go to Ghazni today in a bid to treat 16 sick Korean hostages.
yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr
