There has been no immediate information about 22 South Korean
hostages held in Afghanistan by the Taliban after the seventh
deadline expired at 12:00 PM (07:30 GMT) on Monday.
A purported Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi closed his mobile
phone on Monday when being reached by the media.
Meanwhile, Alishah Ahmadzai, police chief of Ghazni province,
where the hostages are being held, told Xinhua that no progress has
been made in the talks and the Afghan government has asked the
Taliban to extend the deadline for another two days.
Taliban militants have stuck to the exchange of South Korean
hostages for Taliban prisoners, but the Afghan government
apparently is reluctant to release the prisoners.
A total of 23 South Koreans were kidnapped by Taliban militants
on a road in the central Ghazni province on July 19. One male
hostage was executed by Taliban insurgents on July 25.
(Xinhua News Agency, July 30, 2007)
