July 24, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 08, 1428

KANDAHAR, July 23: The Taliban said on Monday that one German hostage held in Afghanistan was still alive, contradicting earlier claims, but made new threats to kill him and 23 South Koreans.

The militants' latest assertion, made by telephone through a spokesman, came as a 1430 GMT deadline loomed by which they threatened to kill their South Korean captives if their demands were not met by nightfall.

Government soldiers have surrounded the areas where the Taliban insurgents are believed to be holed up with their hostages, who were abducted in two kidnappings last week on the war-torn country's main southern highway.

The bullet-riddled body of a second German was found on Sunday, with throat wounds, according to German media. But it was unclear whether he was shot dead or whether the captors fired at his body after he died of a heart attack.

The discovery of the corpse heightened fears for the 23 Korean Christian aid workers, mostly women in their 20s and 30s, in Taliban hands — the largest group of foreigners abducted in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion.

Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi who speaks to the media by telephone from an unknown location, and whose claims cannot be verified — earlier said both Germans were killed on Saturday along with their five Afghan companions.

But on Monday, he said: “The German and four Afghan hostages we said were killed are still alive. For their exchange we want the government to free 10 Taliban prisoners or we'll kill them.” The militants have also demanded the freedom of 23 jailed Taliban in exchange for the South Koreans, and the withdrawal of Germany's 3,000 troops and Seoul's 200 soldiers serving in the Central Asian country.Ahmadi also claimed that the German whose body was found was “executed,” but admitted that one Afghan hostage had escaped. If true, his latest statement would mean the Taliban were holding 28 hostages.

Amid the conflicting claims, negotiations continued in a bid to win the freedom of the captives ahead of the latest Taliban deadline.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary earlier said authorities were “working on the issue constantly, around the clock,” adding: “We have more hope of success for the release of both the South Koreans and the German.

“We hope to win their release via talks rather than military operations.” However, Ahmadi said “the talks are not going well” and warned: “If they continue in this way, I think the hostages will be killed.” The militant spokesman blamed the problems with the talks on the Afghan government side, saying that their representatives had told the Taliban they did not have the power to free the jailed rebels.

Afghan troops have since Sunday surrounded the Qara Bagh district of Ghazni province where the Taliban are holding the hostages.

“We have positioned our forces in the area,” said defence ministry spokesman Mohammd Zahir Azimi. “We are awaiting further orders... We will carry out military operations to free the hostages only if we are told to do so.” The Taliban say they will kill the hostages if troops launch a raid.

South Korea has dispatched a crisis team, led by Vice Foreign Minister Cho Jung-pyo, to Kabul and has repeatedly stressed that it will pull out its troops who are serving with a US-led coalition by year's end as planned.—AFP