Taliban Kill One Korean Hostage, Set Last Deadline

Taliban killed one of the 23 Korean hostages on Wednesday after Kabul failed to free Taliban prisoners.

Taliban kidnappers killed one of its 23 South Koreans hostages and will kill the rest if their demands are not met by 2030 GMT on Wednesday, a Taliban spokesman said.

The Taliban had complained the Afghan government had failed to release any Taliban prisoners as the kidnappers had demanded and as, according to the rebel spokesman, Korean negotiators had assured them Kabul would do.

"Since Kabul's administration did not listen to our demand and did not free our prisoners, the Taliban shot dead a male Korean hostage," Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters by telephone from an unknown location.

"If the administration of Kabul is not ready to release our hostages, then by 1:00 am (local time) the rest of the hostages will be killed," Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters by telephone from an unknown location.

"That time is the last deadline."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has pledged not to swap prisoners for hostages after being heavily criticised both at home and abroad for releasing five Taliban from jail in March in exchange for an Italian reporter.

The kidnappings have made travel outside major cities risky for the thousands of foreign aid workers and United Nations staff in Afghanistan and may weaken support for military involvement among the more than 30 nations with troops in the country.

The 23 Korean church volunteers -- 18 women and five men -- were seized in Ghazni province on the main road south from Kabul last week.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a German journalist and his Afghan translator kidnapped in the east of the country overnight were freed on Wednesday.

One other German and four Afghans abducted last week are still in captivity.