Taliban, S. Korea reach agreement on captives

08/28/2007

Militants will reportedly release all 19 hostages; blast kills 3 NATO troops


GHAZNI, Afghanistan - Taliban militants in Afghanistan agreed to release 19 South Korean church volunteers held captive since July 19, a spokesman for the insurgents and the South Korean government said Tuesday.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said South Korean and Taliban delegates at face-to-face talks Tuesday in the central town of Ghazni had "reached an agreement" to release the captives.

In Seoul, South Korean presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-sun confirmed a deal had been reached.

"We welcome the agreement to release 19 South Koreans," said Cheon Ho-sun.

No details as to the terms of the agreement were immediately available.

In a separate incident in Afghanistan, a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a group of NATO troops helping building a bridge on Tuesday, killing three soldiers and wounding six others, the alliance said in a statement.

The bomber was also killed in the blast, the statement said.

NATO did not disclose the nationalities of the victims or the exact location of the blast.

Most foreign troops in the east of the country where the attack occurred are American.