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| Afghanistan | |
| Taliban kidnap 23 South Koreans in Afghanistan | |
| 2007-07-21 | |
Taliban fighters have increasingly turned away from classic guerrilla warfare and instead have taken up what Afghan officials call “terror tactics” - kidnapping, suicide attacks and roadside bombs. “Twenty-three Korean citizens, 15 women and five men, were very carelessly travelling in a chartered bus from Kabul to Kandahar yesterday, and on the way to Kandahar their bus was stopped by armed men, who took them away,” said Interior Minister spokesman Zemari Bashari. He said the incident happened in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province, around 175 km (110 miles) south of Kabul. “We are still investigating which organisation they were with, and why they were travelling to Kandahar,” he said. The Taliban said they had seized 18 Koreans, 15 men and three women. “They are safe with us, we are investigating them and our demands and reaction will be announced later,” said Taliban spokesman Said Yousuf Ahmadi by telephone from an undisclosed location. Around 1,200 South Korean Christians including hundreds of children had arrived in devoutly Islamic Afghanistan last summer. The Kabul government had ordered them out amid fears for their safety. South Korea has no combat troops in Afghanistan, but has a contingent of 2,200 engineers, doctors and medical staff. Two Germans and six Afghans were abducted southwest of Kabul on Wednesday and are still missing. “The German citizens are safe with us. Our demand is the withdrawal of German troops from Afghanistan and also the release of our prisoners,” said Ahmadi. Germany said it was aware of the Taliban claim. “We have taken note of the comments from a so-called spokesman for the Taliban. There is also a statement to the contrary from a Taliban spokesman from yesterday. He has indicated that the abducted Germans are not in Taliban hands. There is a contradiction here,” a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement. “We will carefully and calmly pursue developments. All necessary steps have been taken. The emergency task force is working very intensively on a quick release of both men.” A German national was kidnapped in western Afghanistan this month, but was released unharmed after a few days. The Taliban kidnapped two French aid workers and three of their Afghan colleagues in southwestern Afghanistan in April, but later released them unharmed. | |
| Posted by:Fred |