Taliban Extends Deadline For 23 Korean Hostages

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan A purported Taliban spokesman said Sunday that the hard-line militia had extended by 24 hours the deadline for the Afghan government to trade captured militants for 23 South Korean hostages.Afghan elders leading the hostage negotiations met with the kidnappers and reported that the Koreans were healthy, said Khwaja Mohammad Sidiqi, the police chief of Qarabagh district in Ghazni district, where the Koreans were kidnapped Thursday.He said the delegation made progress in their talks, but the Afghan military said Afghan and U.S. troops had "surrounded" the region in case the government decides the military should move in.Qari Yousef Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said the militants were giving the Afghan and South Korean governments until 10:30 a.m. EDT Monday to respond to their demand that 23 Taliban prisoners be freed in exchange for the Koreans."The Korean government should put pressure on the Afghan government to give a positive response to the Taliban's demands," Ahmadi told The Associated Press by satellite phone. "They should try to solve things through negotiations in order to save the lives of the hostages and so they can get home without being harmed."Neither the Afghan nor Korean governments have commented on the purported Taliban offer. A delegation of eight Korean officials arrived in the capital of Kabul on Sunday and met with President Hamid Karzai to discuss the crisis.Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said the troops positioned around the area where the Koreans were believed to be held could start a military operation to rescue them "as soon as we receive the order."But a U.S. spokesman said that appeared unlikely for the moment. "We will only launch rescue operations or military action at the request of the Afghan and Korean governments," said Lt. Col. David Accetta. "We do not want to jeopardize the lives of the Korean civilians."
http://kutv.com/topstories/topstories_story_202100723.html
PS:PLEASE REMEMBER THIS GROUP OF KOREANS AND THEIR FAMILIE BACK HOME IN PRAYER TODAY.THIS IS URGENT!!!!
As in the days of Noah...