South Asia News
Taliban set new hostage deadline after second Korean killed (Roundup)
Jul 31, 2007, 13:03 GMT
Afghan police officials inspect the bullet-riddled body of a South Korean who was murdered by the Taliban in the Orzo area of Andar district in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, 31 July 2007. EPA/STR
Kabul/Seoul - Afghan Taliban rebels set a new deadline of noon Wednesday local time (0730 GMT) before they kill more of the remaining 21 South Korean hostages, a rebel spokesman said Tuesday.
'If they don't solve this matter by that time, more hostages will be killed,' Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yusif Ahmadi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa after a second hostage was killed Monday.
The kidnappers, operating in the southern province of Ghazni, are demanding the release by Afghanistan of eight arrested rebels in exchange for freeing the remaining 18 women and three men of the 23- strong Christian group.
The 23 - all members of the Saemmul Community Church - were abducted on July 19 when they were en route from Kabul to the southern province of Kandahar.
The pastor leading the group, Bae Hyung Kyu, had already been shot dead last week. His bullet-riddled body was found on July 25, his 42nd birthday.
Afghan police confirmed Tuesday the bullet-riddled body of the latest hostage to be killed - a 29-year-old male identified as Shim Sung Min - had been located by a roadside.
'This morning we found his bullet-riddled dead body in the Orzo area of Andar district, and the police forces are bringing him to centre of the province,' Alishah Ahmadzai, provincial police chief of Ghazni, told dpa.
The Seoul foreign ministry condemned the murder as a 'barbaric act.' The South Korean government claims it has no effective means to influence decisions by the Afghan government regarding the release of Taliban prisoners.
The kidnappers' spokesman Ahmadi warned the Taliban would first kill the group's men, and then begin to kill the women. He described Monday's killing as the first phase of consecutive executions.
In South Korea, families of the hostages reacted with shock at the latest execution as they gathered with relatives of victim Shim Sung Min's family in a Seoul suburb.
'Why did they kill him? We can't live without him,' his dismayed mother was quoted as saying from the church where the group originated, and which had sent them to carry out development help.
South Korean envoy to Islamabad Kim Jooseok meanwhile said his country would welcome Pakistan's intervention for the safe release of its citizens.
'At the moment we are looking for those who can help us and influence Taliban to release Korean citizens since we are not in a position to meet their demands when they are seeking release of their comrades, which is in the hands of the United States and Afghanistan,' he said in an interview with the newspaper Nation.
The Saudi Arabia-based Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on Monday condemned the killing of the second hostage as a 'savage act' and repeated its demand for the immediate release of the remaining hostages.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
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Perhaps it is time to start playing the game by Taliban rules which seem to be mostly old testament based. One suspected Taliban for each hostage seems fair or perhaps good old Roman decimation plus burial in a pig skin. If a few mistakes are made so what?
One has to ask the question of why, given what the US has/is doing for South Korea are the Koreans so faint hearted in supporting the US? The other question that has to be asked is why were the Koreans in such a danger zone to begin with? Surely they knew the risks?
Time to start playing by Taliban rules, one Taliban for each Korean. The question has to be asked what were the Koreans doing there in the first place and why did Afghan authorities issue visas to begin with? Another question that has to be asked is why is South Korea so faint hearted in supporting the US given what the US has/is doing to support South Korea.
What a difference between the early Christian Martyrs and the 'New Christians'.
While early Christians were tortured for their faith and went to their death bravely , this new batch of Christian missionaries are seen pleading and cowering for their lives.
It was the zeal of the early Christians that people admired and catapulted the tiny religion to prominence.
This new Christianity is weak.
Compare that to the zeal of Muslim extremist and you can see why the Christian religion is on the decline.
were the Korean hostages there to provide aid only? Or were they part of a military force?
Weak Christians? im not christian, but why didnt mention the muslims peeing their pants and pleading for their life when being barked at by dogs?
I agree with the both of you 100 percent..................................
Why doesn't South Korea just go in and militarily recover their citizens? Oh, that's right, they'd first beg and plead with the US taxpayers to finance that operation and expect American families to sacrifice the lives of the soldiers to carry out the mission.
The blame game is convenient for anyone who is actively working towards NOT solving their own problems.
the Arab Chuck Norris in that photo???
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BR-----Raised In New York CityJul 31st, 2007 - 13:45:06
What brave and courageuos men are these Taliban----So proud to be able to destroy lives of innocents as a means to communicate their needs and wants!
And, if the women in their lives are clumsy in their relationships with other men, they must be sacrificed by violent means to make the world know that Taliban men are brave and strong and violent and should be listened to! How noble!!!
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