Military rescue of hostages ruled out

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- South Korea and the United States Thursday reportedly rejected a military option to free 21 surviving South Korean hostages in Afghanistan.

With the expiration of the latest Taliban deadline for saving the hostages, there have been reports of such an operation as a last-ditch effort, but Yonhap news agency quoted South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min Soon as saying, "South Korea and the United States agreed to rule out any military actions."

Soon spoke in the Philippines capital of Manila after meeting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, the report said.

Taliban militants, who kidnapped the Korean church volunteers July 19, have already killed two of them and warned they would kill the others if the Afghan government does not release Taliban prisoners it holds. The latest deadline came and went Wednesday but so far the Afghan government has refused to accept the Taliban demand for a prisoner-hostage swap.

"The United States is in no position to say definitely that it can resolve the situation, but it definitely is one of the countries that can help," the South Korean foreign minister was quoted as telling Yonhap while on his way to Manila.