GHAZNI, Afghanistan - Taliban militants held a second round of face-to-face talks with South Korean officials on the fate of 19 captive church volunteers Thursday but there was no word of a breakthrough.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the South Korean delegation told militant negotiators they cannot free eight Taliban prisoners held by Afghan authorities -- a key Taliban demand.
Ahmadi said that Taliban leadership would soon decide whether to continue with the negotiations.
South Korean officials were not immediately available for comment.
The two sides talked for three hours at the offices of Afghan Red Crescent in Ghazni. The International Committee of the Red Cross helped facilitate the talks.
The Taliban left after the talks on ICRC vehicles, without speaking to reporters.
The talks come after the release on Monday of two women who were among 23 South Koreans kidnapped by the militants on July 19 as they were traveling by bus from Kabul to the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. The kidnappers have killed two male hostages. Fourteen women and five men are still being held.
Two militant representatives held two rounds of face-to-face talks with South Korean officials Friday and Saturday at the Red Crescent office after the Afghan government agreed to guarantee the safety of the militant delegation.
The Taliban want South Korean officials to pressure the Afghan government to free the imprisoned militants and will not harm the rest of the hostages while the talks are ongoing, Ahmadi said.
The Afghan government was heavily criticized in March for freeing five Taliban prisoners to win the release of an Italian journalist, and have ruled out any further such deals, saying they would encourage more kidnappings.
Ahmadi said the release of the two women was a show of goodwill. South Korean officials have called for the unconditional release of the rest of the hostages, while also calling on Afghan authorities to show flexibility.
