Taleban release S Korean hostages

BBC

Taleban rebels in Afghanistan have freed three more South Korean hostages from a group of 19 they have been holding for more than a month.

The three hostages, all women, were released near the edge of the central town of Ghazni, a BBC reporter at the scene said.

The three, said to be in good health, were later handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Koreans, who work for a Christian charity, were kidnapped in July.

Haji Zahir, a tribal elder who has been acting as a mediator in efforts to secure the Koreans' release, told the BBC he and two other elders had travelled to meet the Taleban and bring the women by car to Ghazni.

The releases come a day after the South Korean government said it had reached a deal with the Taleban.

South Korea has agreed to withdraw troops from Afghanistan as scheduled by the end of the year......