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Two women among 21 Koreans taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan were freed on Monday afternoon, 25 days after their abduction. The two were moved from the Afghan Red Crescent Society to the Korean Dongeui Medical unit stationed in Afghanistan after stopping at a U.S. base there for a medical check-up.
The two women were released in Andar, southern Ghazni Province, at 3:30 p.m. and handed over by tribal elder Haji Zahir to the Afghan Red Crescent, reported news agency Pajhwok Afghan News. They arrived in Arzoo, a village between Andar and Ghazni City, in a gray Toyota Corolla driven by the tribal elder, where they boarded a Red Crescent ambulance.
The released hostages wore khaki pants and scarves, and were crying, according to a PAN reporter who was at the scene. A Korean government official said that the two were healthy enough to walk without a support.
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Kim Gina (right) and Kim Kyung-ja, two Korean hostages after they were released by Taliban in Ghazni Province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday./AP
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Meanwhile, Qarabagh District Taliban commander Abdullah Jan, who is holding the remaining 19 hostages, spoke exclusively to the Chosun Ilbo¡¯s local correspondent, political analyst Rahimullah Yusufzai. Jan hinted that the negotiations for the release of the other hostages will be a difficult task.
When are you going to release the other hostages?
We¡¯ve already released two sick female hostages. Now the ball is in Korea¡¯s court. They have to exchange Taliban prisoners for Korean hostages.
Why did you release those two first?
It was a goodwill gesture in the hope that the Korean government will help ensure the safe return of Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government by using the Korean hostages¡¯ release as influence.
Why did you keep changing your promises to release hostages?
We did not changed our words. Taliban negotiators promised their Korean counterparts in the second round of negotiations last Saturday that we were going to release two hostages on Sunday or Monday. We are waiting for next step from the Korean government, which will resolve the abduction. The next face-to-face negotiations will depend on the next step from the Korean government.
We have pointed out that the Korean government has no power to release Taliban prisoners.
The Korean government has dispatched military troops to help the Afghan government and the U.S.-led forces. So the Korean government can ask the Afghan government to save Korean hostages by releasing Taliban prisoners.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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