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JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia : The Organisation of the Islamic Conference called on Monday for the "immediate" release of the South Korean hostages captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan, as a second captive was reported killed.
In a statement from its Jeddah headquarters, the 57-member OIC said that "kidnapping and hostage-taking of innocent civilians are serious crimes against humanity and therefore run counter to the tenets of Islam and its noble values."
It appealed "to those who are holding the hostages to end this un-Islamic practice," while expressing its "solidarity with the Afghan government on this unfortunate crisis."
Fears increased on Monday about the fate of the group of South Koreans after a rebel deadline passed without the hostages being killed.
The hardline rebel group had said it would start killing the 22 Christians abducted on July 19 unless the government agreed to release the prisoners, a demand negotiators have rejected.
The Taliban militia said it shot dead a second hostage on Monday after its deadlines expired for the government to meet their demand.
They already shot dead the leader of the group, a 42-year-old pastor, last week. His bullet-riddled body returned home on Monday but his family said it would not hold a funeral until the other captives were freed. - AFP/de
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