The Taliban has agreed to release 19 South Korean hostages held in Afghanistan for over a month, the South Korean government said.
The Taliban agreed to the release after South Korea agreed to meet certain conditions such as halting its citizens from conducting Christian missionary activity in Afghanistan, South Korea's presidential Blue House said. A presidential spokesman said it may take some time before the actual release.
Relatives of the South Koreans hostages held by the Taliban leave for the Qatari embassy to appeal for the safe return of the 19 remaining hostages. Pic: Reuters/Kang
The Taliban Islamic movement seized 23 Korean Christian volunteers on July 19th from a bus in Ghazni province.
The group killed two male hostages after a series of deadlines and freed two female captives as a gesture of goodwill during the first round of talks.
The talks failed nearly two weeks ago after the Korean team told the Taliban it could not fulfil the group's main demand to free Taliban prisoners jailed by the Afghan government in return for the freedom of the hostages, most of whom are women.
The kidnapping of the Koreans is the largest case of abductions in the resurgent Taliban's campaign since US-led troops toppled the group from power in 2001.
Family members of the South Koreans kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan react after they heard news reports of a release of 19 hostages in Seongnam, south of Seoul, today. REUTERS/Dong-A
It came a day after Taliban fighters seized two German aid workers and their five Afghan colleagues from Wardak province, which like Ghazni lies to the southwest of Kabul.
The Taliban have killed one of the Germans but are still holding the other along with four Afghans. One Afghan managed to escape.
The Taliban are demanding the withdrawal of German troops serving under Nato's command from Afghanistan for freeing the German. Germany has ruled out the Taliban condition.