Remaining Koreans freed in Afghanistan

At left: The twelve hostages who were released yesterday

Today at 8:30 PM local time, the last three of the 23 South Korean Christians kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan were released to Red Cross representatives. A total of nineteen hostages were finally set free yesterday and today, after two members of the group had been shot and killed--Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu and Shim Sung-min--and two others had been freed on an earlier occasion.

As part of the conditions for the hostages' release, the South Korean government reiterated its promise to withdraw all Korean soldiers from Afghanistan by the end of the year--and also banned South Korean Christians from doing missionary work in Afghanistan.

(Sources include Chosun Ilbo, International Herald Tribune, and The Christian Science Monitor).