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TechnoratiAs rumors circulate of a possible rescue operation and with the death of the second South Korean hostage this week, some are contemplating whether military force should be moved up higher on the list of options to save the remaining 21 Korean Christian volunteers.
(Photo: Christian Today Korea / Ko Jun-ho)The aunt (left) and father (right) of Shim Sung-min, one of South Korean hostages killed in Afghanistan holds a photo of the victim and two handicapped children during a news conference calling for the hostages' safe return Tuesday, July 31, 2007. Shim, whose aunt is visually impaired, had always been concerned about the difficulties faced by the handicapped and worked as a volunteer teacher with handicapped children at his church, family members said.
While at first glance a rescue mission might sound plausible – especially with no signs of a breakthrough in negotiations – experts are saying that high-risks coupled with possible lack of international cooperation would make a successful military rescue difficult – if even an option.
South Korean presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-Seon in response to the question said Wednesday that the Korean government has not changed its position and is still pursuing dialogue to resolve the hostage crisis, according to Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's largest newspaper.
Cheon said a military rescue operation at the present moment would be hasty, also noting that Korea does not have sufficient intelligence for a military strike. South Korea only has 210 troops in Afghanistan, whose members are mainly working on humanitarian projects.
If Korea decides to launch a forced rescue, it would need the help of the United States and NATO, both of which are already in the area monitoring conditions.
Yet even with their state-of-the-art spy devices, the rescue team would still be hard pressed for essential information on the Taliban captors – such as the number of guards and the interior of the buildings where the hostages are being held, according to Chosun Ilbo.
Moreover, the 21 remaining hostages are separated into five to six groups and are frequently moved around making it difficult to locate them. The Taliban has also warned that suicide bombers are guarding the hostages and would readily detonate themselves if confronted with a government rescue mission.
An additional foe is the rugged mountainous terrain of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province, where the hostages were abducted, which would make it difficult to conduct a rapid operation.
Ghazni governor Merajuddin Patan agrees with South Korea that a "military operation is not an option at the moment," according to an interview with the governor on Wednesday.
"We want the safety of the hostages and that must be achieved through talks," he told The Korea Times.
However, South Korea is expressing growing frustration over the progress of negotiations with Taliban rebels.
The five major political parties in South Korea adopted a joint statement Wednesday addressed to Kabul that read:
"Just repeating the principle of not dealing with terrorists and maintaining the hard-line stance could bring another sacrifice," according to The Korea Times.
The Korean parties urged the U.S. government and the United Nations to be more involved in securing the hostages release.
A Korean delegation composed of all five of the nation’s political parties will press the issue further in Washington during its meetings with U.S lawmakers Thursday. Korean officials have acknowledged that they have no political leverage in Afghanistan and are seeking help from the United States to stop the Taliban from killing more hostages.
In Seoul, some 27 family members of the Korean hostages also conveyed their hope for U.S. intervention on behalf of the hostages on Wednesday. The family members submitted a written appeal for U.S. help to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul that read: Continue »
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