Face-to-Face Negotiations to Resume Today

Face-to-face negotiations between the Korean government and the Taliban are allegedly scheduled to resume on August 28 to discuss the 19 South Korean hostages still being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Mullah Sabir, a senior Taliban commander in Ghazni province, said, “We decided to send two negotiators tomorrow morning or afternoon to the negotiation site,” in a telephone conversation with Aminula Kahn (fake name), our paper’s stringer, on August 27.

Kahn said, “It’s more likely that face-to-face negotiations will begin on August 28.”

For about ten days since the face-to-face negotiations on August 16, the Korean government and the Taliban have communicated with each other only through the phone. So far, the Taliban has expressed its discontent, saying, “There has been no progress in releasing Taliban prisoners,” and said no further face-to-face negations would be necessary.

spear@donga.com