Two Korean women, Kim Gyeong-ja, left, and Kim Ji-na, are seen with officials of the Red Crescent Society after they were released by Taliban militants in Ghazni Province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday. / AFP-Yonhap

Talks Continue for Freedom of Remaining 19 Korean Captives in Several Days

By Yoon Won-sup
with Emal Pashtunyar
Staff Reporter

KABUL _ The South Korean government confirmed Monday night that Taliban militants had released two sick female Korean hostages, Kim Gyeong-ja, 37, and Kim Ji -na, 32, and handed them over to Korean officials in Ghazni. The two women will undergo a thorough medical check-up and screening as soon as possible.

The officials are continuing their negotiations with a delegation from the militant group to free the remaining 19 hostages. Sources told The Korea Times that these would be freed ``in several days.''

The purported Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi backed the speculation. He said, ``Now that we have released the two women as a gesture of goodwill following demands from the international community and human rights organizations, the Afghan government should also now fulfill its responsibility and accept their (Taliban) demand for the release of their prisoners.''

He added, ``Our negotiations with the Korean delegation will continue for the release of the rest of the hostages, but now we want the release of our men, who are languishing in Afghanistan jails.''

The kidnappers freed the two female hostages _ after several delays regarding the deadline for their release _ following three days of dialogue between Taliban negotiators, Mullah Bashir and Mullah Nasrullah, and the Korean delegation.

Officials of the Red Crescent Society (RCS) in Ghazni confirmed they had received the two hostages. However, they did not release their names and journalists were not allowed to meet or talk to them.

Sources told The Korea Times that the two women were brought in a red Corolla car by a gray-bearded man to a site where two RCS ambulances were parked.

They got out of the car and hurriedly entered one of the two ambulances, which sped away to Ghazni, some 30 kilometers from the place of their release.

An eyewitness, who was present said the health of both women seemed stable but both were weeping while getting into the ambulance.

Some local people and journalists had also arrived on the scene, but none were allowed to get close to the two ambulances or the car. They were also barred from talking to the women.
An RCS official present at negotiations between the Taliban and the Korean delegation confirmed the two had reached the city 30 minutes after their release and were handed over to officials from the Korean Embassy.

Contacted for comments over the telephone from Kabul, the officials confirmed the release of the two hostages but parried all other questions. They did not reply when asked if the two freed women would stay at the embassy in Kabul or would return to Korea as soon as possible.

The release of the two women, who were earlier reported to be seriously ill by Ahmadi, was delayed three times.

Firstly, Ahmadi told this reporter as well as other media representatives on Saturday evening that they were going to set free them in two hours.

However, Taliban commander Abdullah Jan, who was said to be holding the captives, contradicted this. Jan said they had received orders from their leadership council or Mashartaba Shura regarding the release of the two women, but they were not going to set them free at that time. Instead, he said, they would be freed Sunday afternoon.

However, the militants again backtracked on their statement and said the release was postponed due to, what they termed, ``a last-minute glitch'' during their negotiations with the Korean delegation.

A source close to commander Abdullah then told The Korea Times that they would be released on Monday.

Despite the Taliban claim that the release of the two was a goodwill gesture, sources said the militants had received a huge ransom from the Korean side _ however, the exact amount remains unknown.

Meanwhile, they said that talks between the Koreans and the Taliban would continue to secure the safe release of the remaining 19 hostages. The Taliban negotiators are still present in Ghazni to carry forward the dialogue.

The 23 ill-fated Koreans were seized by armed militants while returning from Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar Province to the capital city of Kabul on July 19. Days after their kidnapping, the militants executed two male members of the group one after the other to press the Afghan government and the Korean embassy to accept their demands. The killing of the two men drew widespread condemnation of the Taliban at home as well as on the international front.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr