September 17, 2007

SEOUL -- The 21 surviving South Korean Christian volunteers who were held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly six weeks have recalled how they suffered at the hands of their captors, according to a story carried on http://english.aljazeera.net/.

Speaking at a press conference in Anyang after leaving hospital, Yu Jung-hwa said how she and her fellow hostages felt terrified when her captors lined them up and threatened to kill them if they did not convert to Islam.

“All 23 of us leaned against a wall and armed Taliban aimed their guns at us, and a pit was before me.”

Yu Jung-hwa Yu said: “All 23 of us leaned against a wall and armed Taliban aimed their guns at us, and a pit was before me.

“They said they will save us if we believe in Islam. I almost fainted at the time and I still cannot look at cameras.”

The story went on to say, “Taliban fighters originally seized the 23 South Korean missionaries in July, but killed two of them during negotiations with Kabul and Seoul.

“The rest were eventually released after the South Korean government promised to withdraw its small contingent of troops from Afghanistan and prevent any more missionaries from working there.

Hostage killed

Han Ji-yong, a young female hostage, described the last time she saw Bae Hyung-kyu, a 42-year-old pastor and leader of the group, who was found shot dead on July 25.

“One day, a Taliban called Bae came and checked his first and last names and took him out of the room,” she said, breaking into tears.

“Bae didn't even look at us when he was leaving the room. He only said, ‘Overcome with faith’.”