Taliban militants threaten to kill 'a few' hostages

A purported Taliban spokesman today said negotiations for the lives of 23 South Korean hostages have stalled and that the militants planned to kill “a few” of the captives immediately.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the militants, said the Afghan government had not responded to any of its demands and that between 11.30am (8am Irish time) and 2pm (10.30am Irish time) the militants would kill “a few” of the hostages.