A purported Taleban spokesman in Afghanistan claimed Monday the hardline militia killed a second South Korean hostage after the government failed to free Taleban prisoners.
News reports quoted Yousuf Ahmadi as saying a South Korean man named Sung Sin was shot dead at 8:30 p.m. local time and his body was left in the Qarabagh district of southern Ghazni province. There was no independent confirmation of his claim.
The spokesman also warned the Taleban would kill more hostages if the Afghan government continues to ignore their demands, but the group set no new deadline.
A Ghazni province police chief, Alishah Ahmadzai, said security forces were sent to Qarabagh district to search for the body.
Also Monday, the Arab satellite television network, Al Jazeera, broadcast a video showing a group of female hostages wearing headscarves and sitting on the ground with their captors standing behind them.
The Taleban spokesman labeled negotiations for the South Korean captives a "complete failure." He said the insurgents killed the hostage because Afghan and South Korean governments are, in his words, playing games and cheating.
The Taleban already killed the leader of the South Korean Christian aid workers, 42 year old Bae Hyung-ku last week. His body was found in Ghazni province.
Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters and AFP.
