SEOUL (Reuters) – The South Korean government has told Taliban insurgents holding 21 Koreans there is a limit to what it can do to resolve the hostage standoff that has stretched into a third week, an official said on Friday.
Read More »Taliban offer Kabul talks on hostages
GHAZNI, Afghanistan – The Taliban sought guarantees of safety from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan for possible hostage talks with South Korean officials in government-controlled territory, a purported spokesman for the militants said Friday.
Read More »Iraq, Afghan wars wreaking toll on troops’ mental health
British and US troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq face rising pressures on their mental health and family life, according to two investigations that shed light on a key aspect of military “overstretchâ€.
Read More »Civilians dead in Afghan bombings
Dozens of civilians are reported to have been killed in air raids by Western occupation forces in the Afghan southern province of Helmand.
Read More »Taliban agree to meet South Koreans over hostages: Afghan governor
GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AFP) – An Afghan governor said the Taliban had agreed to meet South Korean diplomats to discuss the fate of 21 hostages but a delegation member said no confirmation had yet been received.
Read More »Hostage crisis overshadows Asia security meet
MANILA (AFP) – Asia’s annual security summit opened in sombre mood Thursday, overshadowed by the plight of 21 South Korean hostages threatened with execution by their Taliban captors in Afghanistan.
Read More »S.Korea, U.S. agree no force to free Afghan hostages
South Korea and the United States agreed not to use force to free 21 Korean hostages in Afghanistan on Tuesday, but Afghan troops warned villagers of a possible offensive in the area where the captives are.
Read More »Witnesses: Feds probe 2 detainee deaths
A civilian grand jury is investigating the deaths of two detainees at a U.S. jail in Afghanistan nearly 5 years ago, according to current and former service members who said they’ve testified.
Read More »Taliban deadline looms with fears for 21 South Korean hostages
A noon deadline imposed on 21 surviving South Korean hostages kidnapped by the Taliban approached Wednesday with negotiations apparently deadlocked and international concern growing.
Read More »Police find body of 2nd slain SKorean
Police at daybreak Tuesday discovered the body of a second South Korean hostage slain by the Taliban, officials said. A purported Taliban spokesman had said the hostage was killed because the Afghan government failed to release imprisoned insurgents
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