“More Candles, Please”: Korean Government Stops Hostage Rescue
KABUL (AFP) - Afghan troops have been ready to use force to free 21 South Koreans held by the Taliban but the rescuse has been stalled over Seoul’s concerns for the safety of the hostages, the interior ministry said Wednesday.
Afghanistan had “significant” numbers of troops in Ghazni province, where the missionaries were abducted July 19, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said. “We’re ready for an operation.”
“We’ve the ability to carry out an operation. The reason why we haven’t yet is because the Korean government has now demanded us to not launch a military operation,” Bashary told reporters.
The authorities were still trying to resolve the crisis through negotiations, chiefly through the intercession of tribal elders and religious leaders, he said.
“How much we will be successful in this, the passage of time will tell. We’re working on this very seriously,” Bashary said.
The Islamic militia has murdered two of its captives, and on Tuesday offered to release 16 women among the hostages in exchange for the release of Taliban women sympathisers held at US military bases here. The US-led coalition said it had no women in custody.
Bashary reiterated there would be no prisoner exchange to free the South Koreans, who were sent by their church to carry out aid work in Afghanistan.
“Regarding any deal, it definitely would not be lawful or a way out of this crisis,” he said. “Any action we take must be within the limits of law.”
President Hamid Karzai has vowed not to cut a deal for the hostages’ release after being heavily criticised last March when the government released five senior Taliban prisoners in exchange for an Italian journalist.
Be respectful of others and their opinions. Inflammatory remarks and inane leftist drivel will be deleted. It ain’t about free speech, remember you’re in a private domain. My website, my prerogative.
If you can't handle using your real email address, don't bother posting a comment.
Those people are dead anyway, if they do nothing. May as well save as many as they can WHILE they can.
Just found this at American Thinker…one of the best intellectual web sites on the net.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/08/from_the_book_of_doublethink.html
This is leftist double-think in a nutshell. Brilliantly done.
August 8th, 2007 at 7:18 amAll appeasement has ever gotten is even more demands. If you’re going to try appeasement, you may as well just surrender unconditionally and embrace a life of slavery. At least that way you save some time.
August 8th, 2007 at 9:24 amSo what exactly do the South Koreans hope to gain at this point? Are they attempting to buy their hostages back? Playing the Jimmy Carter card perhaps? All this delay does is make the terrorists look good and the SK look weak. How foolish.
August 8th, 2007 at 9:45 amwell if we are nice to them they will come to accept us and we can sing john lennons ‘imangine’ together
uuhhh no, actually I think after they cut off their heads they will have some pick up soccer games with them or maybe make a nice table lamp with the cleaned skull
August 8th, 2007 at 10:42 amor they just may fuck the corpses for the glory of allah
thanks for the link jarhead..looks like some good reading
August 9th, 2007 at 4:58 am