S Korea urges release of hostages
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South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun appeals for the release of 18 citizens held captive in Afghanistan.
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ISLAMABAD : Kidnappers of two Chinese engineers have demanded the release of two militants held by Pakistani security forces, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid said.
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An Afghan government team went to an area on Sunday where 23 Koreans were kidnapped to ask tribal elders to mediate for their release while Afghan and foreign troops stood by ready for an operation to free them.
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Suspected Iraqi insurgents have demanded the release of Abu Ghraib prisoners and a huge ransom in exchange for the freedom of an American and a Filipino taken hostage last week in Baghdad, Philippine officials said Tuesday.
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The South Korean government won praise on Thursday for its part in securing the release of 19 hostages held in Afghanistan, but critics said Seoul may have set a dangerous precedent in directly negotiating with the Taliban.
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South Korea said the remaining seven Korean church volunteers held by the Taliban in Afghanistan were likely to be freed on Thursday, a day after 12 of their colleagues were released from an ordeal of nearly six weeks.
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The Taliban kidnappers of 23 Korean hostages on Sunday extended the deadline for the South Korean government to agree to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by 24 hours to 1230 EST on Monday.
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The government appealed for the release of a Briton held hostage in Iraq in a message aired on Arabic satellite television channels.
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Pope John Paul appealed yesterday for the release of the French and other hostages in Iraq, saying human beings could not be treated like merchandise.
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Families of eight Chinese hostages in  Iraq pleaded on Thursday for their release as a deadline set by  their captors neared, and Japan said it was checking reports  one of its citizens had been kidnapped.
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Authorities on Friday called for the release of two Indonesian women held hostage by Islamic militants in Iraq, expressing hope that the kidnapping was ``a mistake&#39;&#39; since Indonesia&#39;s government never supported the war.
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 29 -- The Taliban on Wednesday began making good on a promise to release 19 South Koreans who have been held captive for a month and a half, freeing 12 and promising to turn over the rest in coming days.
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GHAZNI, Afghanistan  - Taliban and South Korean negotiators on Tuesday resumed talks on the fate of the remaining 19 Korean hostages held by the militant group in Afghanistan, provincial officials said.
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Intensive efforts are under way to free 23 South Korean hostages held by the Taleban in Afghanistan.
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A South Korean delegation arrived in  Afghanistan on Sunday to try to secure the release of 23  Koreans held hostage by Taliban guerrillas, a South Korean  embassy official said.
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Twenty-three South Korean hostages held by Taliban rebels in Afghanistan are in good health and any use of force to rescue them would put their lives at risk, a Taliban spokesman said on Monday.
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 29 -- Three of 19 South Korean church volunteers were freed Wednesday after six weeks in Taliban captivity, wire services reported. Negotiators in Afghanistan said the remaining hostages would be released within days, apparently ending a hostage crisis that has gripped b...