Taliban Frees 3 Korean Hostages
Taliban militants freed three South Korean hostages Wednesday in what was the first set of captives from the 19 to be released over the next few days.
All three released were women and reportedly did not appear to have any health problems, according to The Associated Press.
They were first handed to Afghan tribal leaders who then brought them to an agreed location and handed them over to officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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The three covered their heads with red and green shawls as they arrived in the central village of Qala-E-Kazi in a car. They were quickly transferred to Red Cross vehicles which headed towards the local Red Cross headquarters in the nearby town of Ghazni, witnesses told AP.
South Korea identified the three released women as Ahn Hye-jin, Lee Jang-ran and Han Ji-young.
The release came after the Taliban and South Korea struck a deal in which Korea promised to withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and to block South Korean Christian missionaries from working in the country. The rebels had reportedly foregone their original demand for a prisoner exchange.
It has been well over a month since the Taliban militants abducted the original group of 23 South Korean Christian volunteers on July 19 – the largest abduction of foreigners in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. During that period, two male hostages have been killed – the leader of the group, Bae Hyung-kyu, who was found dead on July 25, and 29-year-old Shim Sung-min, whose body was found July 30. Prior to the latest releases, two females – 37-year-old Kim Kyung-ja and 32-year-old Kim Ji-na – were freed on Aug. 13.
In South Korea, family members shed tears of joy Tuesday upon hearing announcements from their government that their children and siblings would be freed by their captors within days.
Family members reportedly ran out of their church, where they had set up an emergency center to monitor the hostage crisis, shouting, "All of them will be freed," according to The Korea Times.
Relieved relatives thanked everyone for their prayers and apologized for making people worry for so long.
"We are more than thrilled to learn that they are free, but I must tell you that we can't wait until all of them return safely," said Cha Sung-min, a spokesman for the hostages' family members, according to Korea Times.
Korean citizens on the streets also expressed joy that the nerve-wrecking ordeal was nearing an end.
"I have been praying everyday for them," said Choi Sun-hee, a 55-year-old homemaker. "They were like my own sons and daughters. I am happy to hear the news."
Up to another seven hostages might "possibly" be released later Wednesday noted a Taliban commander, according to AP.
