Taliban to free remaining S Koreans hostages today

GHAZNI: The Taliban are to release their remaining seven South Korean hostages at 11:30 am on Thursday, an Afghan elder who helped with the release of 12 others, said.   

"They will be freed in two groups today at 4:00 pm," Haji Mohammad Zahir said in the town of Ghazni, near where they were captured six weeks ago.   

Taliban spokesmen could not be reached for confirmation but had said earlier that arrangements were being made to free the seven.   

Zahir had on Wednesday delivered the 12 other hostages from the Taliban to representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross who handed them to South Korean diplomats.   

It follows a deal with the government in Seoul which promised to pull its small military force out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, as originally planned, and to ban missionary groups from going there.   

The aid workers were part of a group of 23 South Korean Christians who were kidnapped by the extremist movement on July 19 while they were travelling in insurgency-plagued southern Afghanistan.   

Two men in the group were shot dead as the Taliban pressed their demand for the release of captured fighters in exchange for the South Koreans.   

The Afghan government refused to release any fighters.   

Then two women were released earlier this month in what the insurgents said was a goodwill gesture after opening direct talks with South Korean government representatives.