Korean Hostage Talks Fail

Taliban says demands not met; group is considering the fate of 19 captives
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 18, 2007 11:46 AM CDT
Korean Hostage Talks Fail
A large banner displaying a message written in Korean, Arabic, center, and English hangs on a building in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007. A Taliban spokesman reiterated on Sunday that the militants will soon free two sick, female South Korean hostages but said the timing of the release...   (Associated Press)

As the 19 remaining Korean hostages await news of their fate, negotiations to secure their release have failed, according to a Taliban spokesman. The terror group says its principal demand—the liberation of insurgents being held by coalition forces—was not met; South Korean officials have insisted Seoul has no power to release captured them.

"I don't think further talks will yield anything," the spokesman said, adding that the Taliban’s leadership council was considering the fate of hostages. Two ill female hostages were released on Monday, but the insurgents have already killed two male captives. (More South Korea stories.)

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