Official: Freeing Taliban captives not an option

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In March, Karzai authorized freeing five captive Taliban fighters for the release of an Italian reporter, but called the trade a one-time deal. He was roundly criticized by the United States and western nations for the move.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a purported Taliban spokesman, said eight prisoners must be released by midday Wednesday, and that some were held by the U.S. at Bagram.

“If the Kabul government does not release the Taliban prisoners, then we will kill after 12 o’clock,” Ahmadi said. “It might be a man or a woman ... It might be one. It might be two, four. It might be all of them.”

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In South Korea, the slain hostage’s father, Shim Jin-pyo, described his son as “chivalrous and warmhearted,” and wondered how the Taliban “could perpetrate this horrible thing.”

Kim Jung-ja, the mother of another hostage, said the U.S. should “give more active support to save the 21 innocent lives.”

German held hostage, too?
In the minute-long video shown Tuesday on Al-Jazeera, a stocky man with graying hair stood in a rugged mountainous area surrounded by masked Taliban fighters, some of them carrying automatic rifles and RPG launchers.

The man seemed to be speaking to a camera but there was no voice in the aired footage. Al-Jazeera broadcaster said he made an appeal to the German government to secure his release. The video also showed four Afghans whom it said were kidnapped with the German.

The broadcaster did not say how it obtained the video.

Two German engineers were reported kidnapped earlier this month by the Taliban. One of them, Ruediger Diedrich, 43, died in captivity under unclear circumstances. His body has been flown back to Germany for an autopsy. German media have identified the second man only as Rudolf B.

In Germany, foreign ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger criticized the release of the video and said the ministry was pressing efforts to secure the hostage’s release.

Germany has 2,700 soldiers serving with the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.