MOSCOW, August 20 (RIA Novosti) - Three of the 19 South Korean hostages being held by the Afghan Taliban have gone on a hunger strike, Seoul's Yonhap news agency said Monday.
According to an undisclosed source, the hostages, who are purportedly still being held in the Afghan province of Gazni, began the hunger strike Sunday.
South Korean media reported earlier that the Afghan militants had issued a new ultimatum, saying they would start killing the hostages Monday unless the authorities released eight Taliban prisoners.
The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean nationals July 19 as they were traveling by bus from Kabul to Kandahar on a humanitarian mission.
Taliban militants have executed two of the male hostages and threatened to kill others if South Korea does not pull its military contingent out of Afghanistan and if the Afghan government does not release its imprisoned fighters.
Following the first round of negotiations with South Korea, Taliban released two women hostages last Monday.
