Taliban says will free two Koreans

A Taliban spokesman said on Monday the guerrilla movement's leadership council had ordered two of 21 South Koreans taken hostage in Afghanistan more than three weeks ago to be released at 4 pm (0730 EDT).

"We are releasing two sick Korean hostages at 4 o'clock on Monday. We are going to hand them over between Ghazni and Zabul provinces to the Red Cross," the spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, said by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location.

First Published: Aug 13, 2007 14:19 IST