Deadline for Afghan hostages passes
The midnight deadline (7.30pm Irish time) set by Afghan militants threatening to kill three UN hostages, including Northern Ireland's Annetta Flanigan, has passed.
There has been no word so fare on the fate of the hostages
Earlier, militants said they might spare one of the three from execution – a Filipino diplomat, because his country has no troops in Afghanistan.
The militants also urged the Afghan government to acknowledge it is in talks with the group – a new demand alongside the withdrawal of British troops and the UN from the country.
A Taliban splinter group claims it abducted Annetta Flanigan of Northern Ireland, Filipino Angelito Nayan and Shqipe Hebibi of Kosovo in Kabul last Thursday.
Jaish-al Muslimeen, or Army of Muslims, released a video on Sunday showing the frightened captives pleading for their freedom.
However, Afghan officials suspect that warlords or criminal groups were also involved in the bold daylight snatch and have launched a search operation in the capital and surrounding countryside.
Akbar Agha, the group’s purported leader, said today that it had received a call from “the authorities.”
“We will not contact them as it will look as if we are the ones who need talks. They will have to approach us,” Agha said by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location.
“We want the Afghan government and the UN to officially declare that they are in contact with us,” he said. “We have set 12 midnight as the deadline.”
Officials at the UN and in the Afghan government, none of whom have confirmed any contact so far, could not be reached immediately. The Philippine government has sent diplomats to Kabul, but has imposed a news blackout.
