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Taliban may release two South Korean hostages soon

GHAZNI (Afghanistan): A Taliban spokesperson on Saturday said the militants would release two sick, women South Korean hostages soon for the sake of good relations with South Korea, but international Red Cross and Afghan officials could not confirm the claim.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the Taliban’s high command decided to free the women because they were ill, but added that the commanders had not decided on the timing of their release.

Two Taliban leaders and four South Korean officials met on Saturday for the second day of face-to-face talks over the fate the hostages.

The talks are being held at the Afghan Red Cross office in Ghazni with the International Committee of the Red Cross helping to facilitate the talks as a neutral intermediary.

The Taliban leaders said the Koreans would “definitely” be released, possibly as soon as “today or tomorrow.”

Franz Rauchenstein, an International Committee of the Red Cross official, said neither the Taliban nor South Korean officials had talked to the Afghan Red Cross about facilitating the release nor could he confirm that two women were to be released.

Mullah Qari Bashir, one of the Taliban negotiators, said the talks were going well and the Taliban were sticking with their original demand — the release of 21 Taliban prisoners from Afghan prisons.

“God willing the Government [of Afghanistan] and the Government of Korea will accept this,” Mr. Bashir said outside the Afghan Red Cross office here. “Definitely, these people will be released. God willing, our friends [Taliban militants in prison] will be released.”

The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Koreans, all volunteers from a church group, last month but later executed two male captives. South Korea took a cautious approach to the negotiations. — AP

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