The act of taking innocent people hostage and killing them to press demands is unpardonable. The Taliban should stop this atrocious behavior immediately. We extend our condolences to the souls and families of South Korean volunteers who have been killed since their group was kidnapped July 19 in Afghanistan.
The group of 23 Christians — 16 women and seven men — from Saemmul Presbyterian Church in Bundang, near Seoul, were kidnapped while traveling by bus from Kabul to the southern city of Kandahar. The women are mostly in their 20s and 30s. The group was on a 10-day relief mission to do volunteer work in Kandahar hospitals. Some of the group were nurses and teachers.
They represented the largest group of foreigners taken hostage in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S. military invasion, which drove the Taliban from power in the country. It was reported that the Taliban have demanded that the Afghan government release 23 Taliban prisoners and that South Korea withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.