Taliban Taliban Say They Killed One More Korean
By Kim Yon-se, Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporters
Taliban reportedly shot and killed a male South Korean hostage around 1 a.m., Tuesday (Korean Standard Time).
Reuters quoted Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf, as saying that they shot dead a male captive because the Afghan government did not listen to their demands.
AFP also quoted a spokesman as saying, ``The body of the hostage had been dumped in the Qarabagh district of the southern province of Ghazni.'' It reported that he did not specify the gender of the captive but his use of the Pashtu language suggested a man was killed.
As of 3 a.m., Tuesday (KST), the Korean government said it was trying to confirm the reports and the U.S. government did not make any comment on the reports.
Taliban militants repeatedly threatened to kill the 22 hostages unless their demand for a swap with prisoners held by Afghanistan was met by 8:30 p.m. (KST), which Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, the purported Taliban spokesman, had claimed was the final deadline.
But the deadline was extended to allow time for additional negotiations, said Marajudin Pathan, governor of the Ghazni Province where the Koreans were kidnapped on July 19. But there was no official confirmation from the Taliban.
The Taliban had considered killing three of the hostages unless the Afghan government accepts their demands or give a positive signal by Monday night, according to sources in the capital of Kabul.
In the meantime, Seoul is reportedly in close contact with Washington to seek assistance in freeing the hostages, the presidential office said Monday.
Presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon told reporters, ``We are looking for close coordination with the United States.''
Asked if Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. President George W. Bush will discuss the hostage issue in the U.S. on Aug. 5, he said it is inappropriate for the Korean government to comment on the meeting.
On late Monday, President Roh Moo-hyun presided over the 14th emergency meeting for the hostages and ordered his special envoy Baek Jong-chun to stay in Afghanistan for two or three more days.
Baek sought a flexible approach to the deal during a meeting with Karzai. The President said his country will exert its utmost efforts to free the hostages, without mentioning the release of Taliban prisoners.
Afghanistan's Deputy Interior Minister Munir Mangal, who is leading the negotiations, also said that the release of Taliban prisoners would not be realized, the Washington Times reported. Rather, he indicated that the Afghan government would use force if the negotiations failed.
Seoul has opposed any military measures to free the hostages because it could jeopardize the lives of the hostages. The Taliban have said they will kill the hostages if the Afghan government or international military forces conduct any military operation to rescue them.
However, the Taliban keep changing their hideouts in Ghazni for fear of an operation, according to the sources.
The insurgents have already killed one hostage, Rev. Bae Hyung-kyu, 42, on July 25, blaming his death on the stalled negotiations. His body arrived in Seoul Monday.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Song Min-soon phoned his U.S. counterpart Condoleezza Rice and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asking them for full support.
Meanwhile, some hostages appeared to be sick as they passed their 12th day in captivity, according to the sources. The Taliban sent a doctor with medicine to assist those in need.
The Korean government has already sent two batches of food and medical supplies to the local government in Ghazni and they were delivered to the militants, Cheon said.
The Korean abductees _ 18 women and four men, mostly doctors and nurses in their 20s and 30s _ went to Afghanistan on July 13 to offer volunteer medical services. Most of them are members of the Saemmul Community Church in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.