Fresh hopes for S Korean hostage release

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An unidentified Afghan girl is interviewed with a TV crew member, regarding the South Korean hostages in the city of Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan recently.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Aug 12 (AFP): Two of the South Korean aid workers held hostage in Afghanistan would be released within hours, a Taliban commander said Sunday, raising fresh hopes of an end to the three-week crisis.
The Taliban commander Abdullah Jal said the two women were still in the hands of the militants, but would be released Sunday afternoon as a goodwill gesture from the Islamist hardliners.
"The two South Koreans are still with the Taliban and God willing, they will be freed this afternoon as a gesture of good intention from the Taliban leading council," said Jal, the commander for the Ghazni region where 23 South Korean were abducted July 19.
Two of the hostages have since been murdered by the Taliban, which has threatened to kill the remaining 21 unless the Afghan government meets their demands to release a similar number of key Taliban prisoners.
Jal's announcement appeared to get negotiations back on track after previous conflicting signals from the extremists suggested the handover had been stalled.
It came as negotiations between South Korean officials and a Taliban delegation were set to enter a third day at the offices of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Ghazni city.
"A third meeting is to take place today (Sunday). We hope that the third meeting will achieve a desired result," said the head of the Red Crescent in the town, Ghulam Ahmad Mujahid.
The Taliban first announced the release Saturday but hours later the regular spokesman for the hardline group, Yousuf Ahmadi, said the handover appeared to have been delayed by "transport difficulties."
By early Sunday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted Ahmadi as saying, "Our leaders have changed their minds and suspended their earlier decision to free two female hostages."
Ahmadi however did not rule out the possibility of a release later. "The plan to release two female hostages first is still valid, but the timing has not been fixed yet," he said.
"There might be confusion and misunderstanding... I hope the situation will be resolved quickly."
South Korean officials refused to confirm the report, and Ahmadi could not be reached directly for comment.
Direct negotiations between the Taliban and a South Korean team are seen as one of the final options to save the group.
A new round of talks could not be confirmed by the Taliban and the South Korean embassy, which does not comment on the process.
Journalists in Ghazni were meanwhile ordered by authorities to stay away from the talks venue and return to their hotels.