Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Alyallen]

Taliban agree to free S. Korean hostages

AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer 22 minutes ago

GHAZNI, Afghanistan - The Taliban agreed Tuesday to free 19 South Korean church volunteers held hostage since July after the government in Seoul pledged to end all missionary work and keep a promise to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.


In eastern Afghanistan, a suicide bomber attacked NATO troops helping build a bridge, killing three soldiers.

The Taliban originally seized 23 South Koreans, but have since killed two of the hostages and released two others. They had initially demanded the withdrawal of South Korean troops from the country and the release of prisoners in exchange for freeing the hostages, but Afghan officials had ruled out any exchange, saying it would only encourage further kidnappings.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said South Korean and Taliban delegates at face-to-face talks Tuesday in the central town of Ghazni had "reached an agreement" to free the captives.

South Korean presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-sun said the deal had been reached "on the condition that South Korea withdraws troops by the end of year and South Korea suspends missionary work in Afghanistan," he said.

South Korea has already said it planned to withdraw its troops by the end of the year. Some 200 South Korean soldiers have been deployed in Afghanistan for reconstruction efforts, not combat.

"We welcome the agreement to release 19 South Koreans," said Cheon.

South Korean missionaries have been active in Afghanistan, although the hostage group's church has said those kidnapped were not missionaries, but were doing aid work.

There was no word on when the captives would be released.

Tuesday's agreement came after face-to-face talks between both sides in the central town of Ghazni. It was the fourth time the two sides had held direct negotiations. All the talks had been mediated by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Abductions have become a key insurgent tactic in recent months in trying to destabilize the country, targeting both Afghan officials and foreigners helping with reconstruction. A German engineer and four Afghan colleagues kidnapped a day before the South Koreans are still being held.

Violence in Afghanistan is running at its highest level since the Taliban ouster.

The suicide bomber approached the troops building a bridge in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing three soldiers and wounding six, NATO said. The alliance did not disclose the nationalities of the victims or the exact location of the blast. Most foreign troops in the east of the country are American.

U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops, meanwhile, killed up to 21 suspected Taliban militants in three separate clashes in southern Afghanistan, and a roadside blast killed four Afghan soldiers in the east, officials said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070828/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan

[nautilus]

I'm surprised there is no reaction to this on this board.

Momentous decision, no?

I also didn't realise the korean govt had the authority to stop its citizens venturing into afghanistan for whatever reason. Surely its up to the afghans to stop foreign nationals entering their country?


also i notice one of the hostages volunteered to stay behind so that one of her friends could be released instead. Thats pretty brave.

[Alyallen]

[caniff]

Topic fatigue, perhaps?

Good news, nonetheless. Although I am curious what kind of deal was struck which the general public isn't supposed to know about. Taliban just get tired of looking at them? Seems they gave in without getting much in return, if you believe the official story.

[On the other hand]

[Masta_Don]

[The Bobster]

[Vicissitude]

[Vicissitude]

[yawarakaijin]

[Masta_Don]

[jinju]

Absolute crap. So a for a few people Korea is now caving into demands of terrorists? Its not like they were abducted in Europe or Turkey. They went to AFGHANISTAN. They went to the most DANGEROUS parts of Afghanistan. They defied not only SK's ban on travel to Afghanistan, they also defied safety by never chencking in with the Afghani officials. They knew the risks, they took photos posing by a government warning about travel to Afghanistan. These idiots deserved no help. Does nobody see the fundamental problem here? Its absolutely the same problem that the summit with NK poses. A lame duck president with sub 20% approval ratings is now going to reach deals that will bind the hands of the new administration. Did Korea plan to get troops out of Afghanistan at the end of the year? Thats irrelevent. The relevent thing here is that a deal was reached that will bind the next administration. Same thing with the summit, where Roh has no business meeting with KJI and making deals that the next administration will be forced to keep.

In plain words the SK government just bent over and yielded to demands of a bunch of terrorists. It is now open season on all SK nationals in other countries. Afterall, SK deals with terrorists and yields to their demands.

[twg]

No, Jinju. This is a stupid argument you have made.

Terrorists have and always will target anyone not them. The open season has always been there, on all of us, and this will not do anything to increase nor decrease the chances of kidnapping happening. They will always take whatever opportunity they can.

Most human beings don't deal with the world like it's a dick-waving contest. (ie: non-conservatives) They did what they needed to do to bring their citizens home safe. That should be the priority of every nation.

The real argument should be why they didn't take steps to keep this from happening in the first place. And those responsible for it should face the consequences.

[Harpeau]

I guess that it just goes to show that the love love of money is the root of all circumstances. I'm wondering why they don't announce how much money it cost to set them free?! In addition, is their $uper-church going to flip the bill? I certainly don't think the tax-payer should have to pay for a bunch of missionaries total stupidity!

[CentralCali]

Well, South Korea has now managed to do two things:

1. Give financial support, along with an air of "legitimacy" in the sense of being a government, to a bunch of terrorists.

and

2. Showing the government of Afghanistan that it has no control in its own land.