Taliban Demand $10 Million for Freeing All Hostages
By Emal Pashtunyar
Special to Korea Times
KABUL _ Taliban militants are demanding just over $0.5 million for the release of each of the remaining hostages, The Korea Times has reliably learnt from a source, Tuesday.
With 19 hostages still being held by Taliban _ two (men) were killed and two (women) freed _ the total ransom being demanded is around $10 million.
However, the source said, a Korean delegation is offering only US $0.5 million for the safe release of all the remaining captives, and current negotiations are focused only on that issue.
Neither the Taliban, nor the Korean side are admitting to the ransom talks but the source privy to the meetings between them informed this reporter that the focal point of the current dialogue was the ransom amount.
Asked if the negotiations were continuing or whether there were problems, he said they were still underway and the two sides were trying hard to strike a deal as soon as possible.
Although, the demand from the militants and the offer from Korean side are poles apart at the moment, the two sides are striving to come closer and agree on a reasonable sum.
The Taliban demand of $0.5 million per hostage was unreasonable, said the source shuttling between the two sides, adding that they might have made such a demand to push the Koreans to pay them at least $2-3 million for the remaining hostages.
He said he was ``certain'' Korean officials paid for the prior release of two female captives.
``They have been freed for ransom,'' said the source, but did not offer the exact amount.
The issue of prisoners' swap has now been removed from the negotiation table, he said. ``It is no longer under consideration.''
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, who sent a short message to this reporter soon after the release of the two women on Monday, reiterated the demand for the release of their men.
``Now that we've freed the two hostages as a gesture of goodwill, the Afghan government too, should come forward and release our prisoners to secure the lives of the remaining captives,'' said the message.
However, the source said inside negotiations were focused on payment of a ransom, and he expected a peaceful settlement of the issue in a few days.
To questions about the health of the hostages, the source said they were all fine. ``They are well-fed, well-kept and all facilities are available to them,'' he maintained.
Earlier, the two Taliban negotiators, Mullah Bashir and Mullah Nasrullah, who are engaged in talks with the Korean delegation at the office of the Red Crescent Society, told the media that they hoped for a peaceful end to the hostage crisis.