KABUL, Afghanistan, July 31, 2007
Taliban: "We Might Stop Killing Hostages"
Militants Blame Afghan Government For Hostages' Deaths; Seek Direct Talks With South Korea
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A policeman looks at the bloodstains of his colleagues on the seat of a police car ambushed by Taliban militants in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, July 30, 2007. At least two police officers were killed. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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Commuters in Seoul pause in front of the TV at the train station, July 31, 2007, as the news bulletin comes in that another hostage has been killed. (AP Photo)
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This photo made from a video aired by Al-Jazeera TV channel on July 30, 2007, shows one of seven female South Korean hostages allegedly held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. (AP/Al-Jazeera)
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Demonstrators in Seoul, South Korea, on July 31, 2007, demanding the safe return of South Koreans kidnapped in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. (AP)
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Shim Sung-min (above) was one of the 23 South Koreans kidnapped in Afghanistan on July 19, 2007, and the second to be killed. His body was found on July 31, 2007, in central Afghanistan. (AP/Saemmul Church via Yonhap)
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The Afghan government is "under extreme pressure, and they are embarrassed, so we want to keep them in this situation and sustain this crisis for a while," the militant said in a phone interview.
He did not say exactly how the group planned to draw-out the situation, but he did say the killing "might stop," if only temporarily. The commander spoke to CBS News on condition that he not be named.
Mullah Sabir Nasir, the senior Taliban commander in Ghazni province, where the South Koreans were abducted more than two weeks ago, told CBS News that two hostages were killed due to the Afghan government "cheating us" in negotiations for their release.
Nasir, who holds one of about 30 seats on the Taliban's "supreme council" of leaders, said government negotiators had repeatedly gone back on promises to release Taliban prisoners in exchange for the hostages' — 21 of whom are still said to be alive.
He expressed frustration at apparently not being able to negotiate directly with South Korean officials, suggesting the government of Afghan president Hamid Karzai was blocking any such discussion.
"The Afghan government just wants to make us angry, and push us to kill all the hostages at once to bring an end to the crisis," Nasir told CBS News.
The senior Taliban commander who spoke anonymously to CBS News said the militants were considering the release of the female hostages.
He stressed that if the 18 women were freed, "there will be no money". In recent interviews with CBS News, Taliban leaders have repeatedly denied reports that any ransom was being sought.
The second slain hostage's body, a man, dressed in Western clothing and with glasses, was found on the side of the road at daybreak Tuesday in the village of Arizo Kalley in Andar District, some 5 miles west of Ghazni city, said Abdul Rahim Deciwal, the chief administrator in the area.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry identified the victim as 29-year Shim Sung-min, a former information technology worker who volunteered with a South Korean church group on an aid mission to Afghanistan.
"The Kabul and Korean governments are lying and cheating. They did not meet their promise of releasing Taliban prisoners," a purported Taliban spokesman said earlier by phone from an undisclosed location.
The Afghan government said releasing militant prisoners was not an option.
"We are not going to discuss the details, releasing or not releasing of criminals in exchange for the hostages," said Humayun Hamidzada, spokesman for President Hamid Karzai. "We are doing everything we can to secure their release."
In March, Karzai approved a deal that saw five captive Taliban fighters freed for the release of Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo. Karzai, who was criticized by Washington and European capitals over the exchange, called the trade a one-time deal.
"As far as the comparison with the Italian hostage situation is concerned, I don't think that this should become an industry in Afghanistan," Hamidzada told a news conference Tuesday. "I don't think anyone supports it ... as a principle, we shouldn't encourage kidnapping by accepting their demands."
In South Korea, the dead man's father, Shim Jin-pyo, said his wife collapsed when the family heard their son was the Taliban's latest victim.
Appearing calm and soft-spoken, Shim Jin-Pyo said he wondered how the Taliban "could perpetrate this horrible thing."
The relatives of the hostages appealed for support from the United States and the international community to resolve the hostage standoff.
"In particular, the families want the United States to disregard political interests and give more active support to save the 21 innocent lives," said Kim Jung-ja, mother of Lee Sun-young, one of the remaining captives.
Earlier, the Al-Jazeera television network showed shaky footage of what it said were several South Korean hostages. It did not say how it obtained the video. The authenticity of the video could not immediately be verified.
Some seven female hostages, heads veiled in accordance with the Islamic law enforced by the Taliban, were seen crouching in the dark, eyes closed or staring at the ground, expressionless.
The hostages did not speak as they were filmed by the hand-held camera.
The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Koreans riding on a bus through Ghazni province on the Kabul-Kandahar highway on July 19, the largest group of foreign hostages taken in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
The Taliban has set nearly a dozen deadlines for the South Korean lives. Last Wednesday the insurgents killed their first hostage, a male leader of the group.
The body of pastor Bae Hyung-kyu arrived back in South Korea on Monday.
On Sunday, Karzai and other Afghan officials tried to shame the Taliban into releasing the female captives by appealing to a tradition of cultural hospitality and chivalry. They called the kidnapping of women "un-Islamic."
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 311 CommentsSpoken like a true redneck.
"I'm roscoe P Coltraine!!!!
Akyukyukyuyukyu!!!!!"
Your words are weak. Its easy to sit there and talk sh*t from your trailer park, but head on down to the South and try to man-up. The next thing you know, you're either in ICU or dead...DON"T F*CK WITH THE SOUTH!!!
Whether you like it or not, North African Arabs were recruited by the SS to work in the European concentration camps.
Numerous concentration camp survivors, still alive today, can vouch for the fact that these willing recruits were renowned for the sadistic enthusiasm with which they carried out their assigned duties.
Why anyone feels sympathy for these proto-Nazis is a complete mystery to me.
Posted by juwboy at 05:50 AM : Aug 01, 2007
If they were hair breadth away, they were still not involved in what HITLER and his fellow EUROPEANS did. Israel should be founded in GERMANY not in a completely different continent in PALESTINE.
There is no justification at all, why EUROPEANS were brought into PALESTINE from different EUROPEAN COUNTRIES to occupy the land of those PALESTINIANS by force who had nothing to do with the actions of HITLER.
Palestine was not under the CONTROL of HITLER, GERMANY was.
CONCENTRATION CAMPS were in GERMANY not in the JURISDICTION of PALESTINE.
If a man is beheaded in SAUDI ARABIA, nobody has a right to accuse UNITED STATES because CONDI RICE once met with the King of Saudi Arabia.
In the same way, if Hitler once met with the Grand Mufti of Palestine, nobody should have a right to occupy PALESTINIAN LAND for making ISRAEL, instead of GERMANY.
I do have sympathy for United States, her peopole and her economy.
There is no justification of GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS to work day and night to pay TAX to the government and GOD-CHOSEN NON-AMERICANS to snatch more then $3 Billions a year from their TAX MONEY for buying HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against our nation.
Posted by juwboy at 05:50 AM : Aug 01, 2007
Was that Grand Mufti democratically elected by the people of Palestine as their leader?
How do you know whether his meeting with HITLER was his personal idea or he was respresenting all the Palestinians?
you said
"I have no doubt that Palestinians would have have carried out their tasks as concentration camp guards with the same sadistic avidity as their fellow Arabs from North Africa did when some of them were recruited by the SS to work in the extermination camps of Eastern Europe."
Who cares whether you have doubt about that or you don't. There is a big difference between PALESTINIANS WOULD HAVE CARRIED OUT THEIR TASKS AS CONCENTRATION CAPMS GUARDS and whether they were CONCENTRATION CAMP GURAD.
No body is guilty unless proven otherwise.
Irrespective of what type of HALLUCINATION or DILLUSION you suffer from, If they were not the CONCENTRATION CAMP GAURDS they were not the CONCENTRATION CAMP GAURDS, and those who were CONCENTRATION CAMP GUARDS were the CONCENTRATION CAMP GUARDS.
If you have a little bit of sanity left, you can not deny the fact that CONCENTRATION CAMPS were in GERMANY not in PALESTINE, Hitler and his CONCENTRATION CAMP GUARDS were GERMAN or AUSTRAIN not PALESTINIANS.
If Israel has a right to exist, she does have a right to exist in GERMANY not in PALESTINE.
The Palestinians had everything to do with the actions of Hitler.
In the late 1930s, the Palestinian leader, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, masterminded a widespresad revolt with the intention of driving the British and Jews out of the Middle East.
The insurgency almost succeeded, but was eventually put down just before the start of World War II by General Bernard Montgomery who was appointed commander of the British forces in the area.
The Grand Mufti fled to Berlin where he remained as HITLER'S GUEST until the war ended in 1945. In the meantime, he was a cheer-leader for Rommel's eastward advance across North Africa towards the Middle East and even drew up plans for a network of concentration camps in Palestine.
I have no doubt that Palestinians would have have carried out their tasks as concentration camp guards with the same sadistic avidity as their fellow Arabs from North Africa did when some of them were recruited by the SS to work in the extermination camps of Eastern Europe.
Thankfully, this never happened because Rommel's forces were halted at El Alamein in Egypt by Montgomery's military genius.
So, far from being innocent bystanders to Hitler's actions, the Palestinians were just a hair's breadth away from being actively complicit in them.
Why anyone feels sympathy for these proto-Nazis is a complete mystery to me.
instead, they took the path of insurrection and war.
after they lost the war, the south was so shamed and humilliated that they sent john wilkes boothe to assasinate abraham lincoln.
when america forced civil rights on the south, the south retaliated by murdering john kennedy.
now those idiot southern snakes make america suffer through 8 years of george bush.
republicans, christians, rednecks, war makers, ignorant dixie trash...
nothing good comes out of the south.
It's 11:17 pm on the East Coast. I have to leave early in the morning to catch a flight. After reaching my destination, I'll definately come up with the answer.
Can you find one credible quote from Bin Laden prior to 9-11 that mentions Israel?
Alqaeda and taliban don't get recruits in the name of spreading their religion by force. They get recruits by showing their oppressed image in the Middle East. There is no other reason which boost their recruiting efforts then the occupation of Palestinian land by the European invaders in Palestine.
Read the book "THE AMERICAN SOLDIER" written by GEN Tommy Franks. When General went to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Abdullah (who is now the king of Saudi Arabia), he was told by Abdullah
"America can have many friends in the Muslim world, Isreal divide us"
They are killing Korean hostages because Korean Military is helping United States in Afghanistan which they consider the SUPPORTER and PROTECTOR of the EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE.
Faith Islam came less then 2000 years ago, but the Tribal mindset is there for hundreds of thousands of years. In there way of life, people are either friends or enemies, there is nothing in between.
Why should we make people our enemies and loose our money, lives and country for a NON-AMERICAN CAUSE, NON-AMERICAN PEOPLE and NON-AMERICAN LAND?
When will you people wake up and see that%u2019s really what _ _ _ _ want.
When you find out who _ _ _ _ are.
Then you will know.
I know patriotic9 the dog ate your homework, the sun did not shine today, its raining where you live, your cow did not give milk, your boss fired you, your crops did not come in,you do not make much money, you took a "walk on the wild side" and it is all Israels fault.
The silence is deafening.
Posted by xzavierbrown at 06:59 PM : Jul 31, 2007
Really?
If they hate our FREEDOM and WAY of LIFE then why didn't they attack those EUROPEAN COUNTRIES where PROSTITUTION is LEGAL, HOMOSEXUALS have right of marriage just like HETEROSEXUAL CITIZENS (No discrimination based on SEXUAL ORIENTATION), Women are allowed to be TOPLESS in public just like MALE CITIZENS (No DISCRIMINATION based on GENDER).
The main reason we were attcked on 9/11 was because of those enemies of UNITED STATES who want to support and protect NON-AMERICAN EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE on the cost of AMERICAN MONEY, AMERICAN LIVES and USA herself because AMERICANS are GOD-NEGLECTED and NON-AMERICAN EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE are GOD-CHOSEN, United States is an UNHOLY LAND and NON-AMERICAN LAND BETHLEHAM where ISLAMIC RADICAL JESUS was born (who denied HOMOSEXUAL RIGHT's of marriage and women's right of choosing abortion just like his fellow ISLAMIC RADICAL BROTHERS), is a HOLY LAND.
If EUROPEANS were not brought into PALESTINE after WWII to occupy the land of those PALESTINIANS by force who had nothing to do with the actions of HITLER because BIBLE said so, Alqaeda would not get enough recruits to fly planes into buildings because KORAN says so.
Mother of all the evils is a PSYCHOSIS named CHRISTIANITY.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/300107Immigration.htm
Posted by xzavierbrown at 06:59 PM : Jul 31, 2007
Really?
If they hate our FREEDOM and WAY of LIFE then why didn't they attack those EUROPEAN COUNTRIES where PROSTITUTION is LEGAL, HOMOSEXUALS have right of marriage just like HETEROSEXUAL CITIZENS (No discrimination based on SEXUAL ORIENTATION), Women are allowed to be TOPLESS in public just like MALE CITIZENS (No DISCRIMINATION based on GENDER).
The main reason we were attcked on 9/11 was because of those enemies of UNITED STATES who want to support and protect NON-AMERICAN EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE on the cost of AMERICAN MONEY, AMERICAN LIVES and USA herself because AMERICANS are GOD-NEGLECTED and NON-AMERICAN EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE are GOD-CHOSEN, United States is an UNHOLY LAND and NON-AMERICAN LAND BETHLEHAM where ISLAMIC RADICAL JESUS was born (who denied HOMOSEXUAL RIGHT's of marriage and women's right of choosing abortion just like his fellow ISLAMIC RADICAL BROTHERS), is a HOLY LAND.
If EUROPEANS were not brought into PALESTINE after WWII to occupy the land of those PALESTINIANS by force who had nothing to do with the actions of HITLER because BIBLE said so, Alqaeda would not get enough recruits to fly planes into buildings because KORAN says so. Mother of all the evils is a PSYCHOSIS named CHRISTIANITY.
Posted by xzavierbrown at 06:59 PM : Jul 31, 2007
Are you serious. Are you really that ignorant and stupid.
That SADDAM HUSSAIN, who was the worst enemy of ISLAMIC RADICALS and who killed his own people and Iranians because they wanted to establish an ISLAMIC EMPIRE around the globe was the most committed and most prepared to provide terrorists with whatever they need under his disposal?
Saddam Hussain whose FOREIGN MINISTER TARIQ AZIZ was a CATHOLIC and had females in his government was the most committed and most prepared to provide terrorists with whatever they need under his disposal?
Saddam who never allowed Islamic Radicals to build Islamic Schools and whose Intelligence used to chase those who prayed regularly at mosques was himself an ISLAMIC RADICAL?
Dude,
You sound like one of those people whose KNOWLEDGE is limited to BEER, BASE BALL and BOOBS.
Are you the PERSONAL ADVISOR of BUSH?
Sorry radio, seem I forgot the URL
http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/mexicoflag.asp
Posted by xzavierbrown at 06:59 PM : Jul 31, 2007
Really?
If they hate our FREEDOM and WAY of LIFE then why didn't they attack those EUROPEAN COUNTRIES where PROSTITUTION is LEGAL, HOMOSEXUALS have right of marriage just like HETEROSEXUAL CITIZENS (No discrimination based on SEXUAL ORIENTATION), Women are allowed to be TOPLESS in public just like MALE CITIZENS (No DISCRIMINATION based on GENDER).
The main reason we were attcked on 9/11 was because of those enemies of UNITED STATES who want to support and protect NON-AMERICAN EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE on the cost of AMERICAN MONEY, AMERICAN LIVES and USA herself because AMERICANS are GOD-NEGLECTED and NON-AMERICAN EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE are GOD-CHOSEN, United States is an UNHOLY LAND and NON-AMERICAN LAND BETHLEHAM where ISLAMIC RADICAL JESUS was born (who denied HOMOSEXUAL RIGHT's of marriage and women's right of choosing abortion just like his fellow ISLAMIC RADICAL BROTHERS), is a HOLY LAND.
If EUROPEANS were not brought into PALESTINE after WWII to occupy the land of those PALESTINIANS by force who had nothing to do with the actions of HITLER because BIBLE said so, Alqaeda would not get enough recruits to fly planes into buildings because KORAN says so. Mother of all the evils is a PSYCHOSIS named CHRISTIANITY.
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