Afghanistan: Ban Ki-moon welcomes release of two South Korean hostages

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he was pleased that two hostages from the Republic of Korea – who are among 23 abducted by the Taliban over three weeks ago – have been released in Afghanistan.

Mr. Ban also “hopes that the remaining Korean, Afghan and German hostages will be released in the coming days,” his spokesperson said in a statement.

The release of the two female captives comes almost two weeks after two male members of the group were killed by the Taliban.

In a statement issued following the killings, Mr. Ban noted that among the detained were many young women “who came to help the people of Afghanistan and they should not be made part of the conflict in that country.”