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GHAZNI, Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s Taliban set the
government a new deadline of noon (0730 GMT) Wednesday to meet its
demands in order to save 21 South Koreans a day after a second
hostage was killed.
“Our last deadline for the 21
surviving South Koreans is tomorrow 12 o’clock,” Taliban
spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP.
“If our demands are not met by
then, we will start killing the rest of the South Koreans,” he
said, accusing the Afghan and South Korean governments of dishonesty
in negotiations to free the group that was kidnapped on July 19.
The hardline Islamic militia is
demanding the Kabul government free at least eight Taliban prisoners
held in Afghan jails.
Police overnight found the
bullet-riddled body of a South Korean in the southern province of
Ghazni, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) south of Kabul.
The body of a 42-year-old pastor,
Bae Hyung-Kyu, the leader of the Christian group, was found in the
same area last Wednesday.
“The Kabul administration and
the South Korean government are not honest in their negotiations,”
Ahmadi said. “We extend the deadline for the 21 South Koreans for
another 24 hours starting from today 12 o’clock.”
--AFP
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