? ?
WORLD / Asia-Pacific
4 more South Korean hostages freed
(AP)
Updated: 2007-08-30 23:03
Taliban militants freed four more South Korean hostages in central
Afghanistan on Thursday, witnesses said, and the release of the three
remaining captives was believed to be imminent.
Four of five released South Korean hostages walk in the city of Ghazni,
August 29, 2007. [Reuters]
The two men and two women were handed over to officials from the
International Committee of the Red Cross on a road in the Janda area of
central Afghanistan, an witness at the scene said.
Reto Stocker, the head of the ICRC delegation to Afghanistan, said
representatives were on their way to pick up the three remaining captives
from an agreed location elsewhere.
The Taliban originally kidnapped 23 South Koreans as they traveled by bus
from Kabul to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar on July 19. In
late July, the militants killed two male hostages, and they released two
women earlier this month as gesture of goodwill. Another 12 were freed
Wednesday.
Under the terms of a deal reached Tuesday, South Korea reaffirmed a
pledge it made before the hostage crisis began to withdraw its troops
from Afghanistan by the end of this year. Seoul also said it would
prevent South Korean Christian missionaries from working in the staunchly
Muslim country, something it had already promised to do.
The Taliban could emerge from the hostage-taking with enhanced political
legitimacy for negotiating successfully with a foreign government.
South Korea and the Taliban have said no money changed hands as part of
the deal.
An Indonesian government official who took part in the negotiations
Tuesday between three South Korean officials and two Taliban commanders
where the deal was struck said money was not brought up.
"From what I saw and from what I heard in the talks, it was not an
issue," Heru Wicaksono said.
Wicaksono, a high-ranking official at the Indonesian Embassy in Kabul,
said the Taliban were motivated by "humanitarian feelings" to free the
captives.
The Afghan government was not party to the negotiations, which took place
in Ghazni and were facilitated by the ICRC.
Wicaksono was an observer at the talks, chosen by both sides because
Indonesia is a large Muslim country.
South Korea's government, which has been under intense domestic pressure
to bring the hostages home safely, said it had tried to adhere to
international principles while putting priority on saving the captives.
Afghan Commerce Minister Amin Farhang criticized the deal.
"One has to say that this release under these conditions will make our
difficulties in Afghanistan even bigger," he told Germany's Bayerischer
Rundfunk radio. "We fear that this decision could become a precedent. The
Taliban will continue trying to take hostages to attain their aims in
Afghanistan."
A German engineer and four Afghan colleagues kidnapped a day before the
South Koreans are still being held.
Afghanistan has seen a rash of kidnappings of foreigners over the last
year.
The Italian and Afghan governments were heavily criticized in March for
agreeing to free five Taliban prisoners to win the release of an Italian
journalist. The head of the Italian aid agency Emergency also has said
Rome also paid a $2 million ransom last year for a kidnapped Italian
photographer?-- a claim Italian officials did not deny.
Top World News ?
* Final South Korean hostages freed
* US economy grows at fastest pace in a year
* 8 died in Brazil train collision
* 4 more South Korean hostages freed
* Taliban to free rest of Korean hostages
Today's Top News ?
* Japan urged to be prudent on Taiwan
* Landmark anti-monopoly law passed
* New ministers get legislature's nod
* White House criticizes Iraq report
* China appoints new ministers
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese, Learning Mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment