Taliban: negotiations to release hostages might fail

Source: Xinhuanet | 07-23-2007 19:31

KABUL, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Negotiations to free 23 South Korean hostages might fail as the Afghan representative doesn't have enough authority to release Taliban prisoners, a purported Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said Monday.

Ahmadi told Xinhua from an undisclosed place by telephone that the Taliban has demanded the release of 23 Taliban prisoners as exchange for the South Koreans, but some prisoners are found detained in the prisons of U.S., Canada or British troops.

He said the Afghan representative engaged in the negotiations seemingly doesn't have enough authority to ask for the release ofTaliban detainees in foreign prisoners.

The Taliban has extended the deadline for executing the 23 South Korean hostages for another 24 hours until 7:00 p.m. (1430 GMT) on Monday.

The 23 South Koreans were kidnapped by Taliban militants on a road in the central Ghazni province on Thursday afternoon.

Afghan and the U.S.-led coalition forces have cordoned off a suspected Taliban hideout in Qarabagh district of Ghazni to secure the release of the hostages.

Meantime, the Taliban spokesman Ahmadi said militants would execute all the 23 hostages if the troops recklessly carry out a storm.

A South Korean team led by a vice foreign minister has arrived in Kabul on Sunday to facilitate the release of the hostages.

The Taliban also demanded the withdrawal of 200 South Korean troops from this country, while the South Korean government said the soldiers would be pulled out at the end of 2007 as scheduled.

Taliban militants have carried out kidnappings in this country over the past two years frequently, and some hostages were killed by the Taliban brutally.

Editor:Du Xiaodan