More Claims of Ransom; Were Hostages Sexually Assaulted?

The Korean hostages are now safely back in Korea but the controversy around their release continues to boil.  Via Nomad, comes this news of the amount of the suspected ransom Korea paid to secure their release:

South Korea paid Afghanistan’s Taliban more than $20 million to release 19 missionaries they were holding hostage, a senior insurgent leader said on Saturday, vowing to use the funds to buy arms and mount suicide attacks.

The freed hostages flew out of Afghanistan on Friday to Dubai en route for South Korea. Seoul denies paying a ransom, but critics say negotiating with the Taliban sets a dangerous precedent that could spur more kidnappings–which the Taliban have vowed to carry out. [Epoch Times]

The Taliban have been so pleased with their success with the Koreans they have vowed to do it again:

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi vowed to abduct more foreigners, reinforcing fears that South Korea‘s decision to negotiate directly with the militants would embolden them.

"We will do the same thing with the other allies in Afghanistan, because we found this way to be successful," he told The Associated Press via cell phone from an undisclosed location. [Amir Shah, AP]

More on the ransom and what to do with South Korea’s material support of terrorism over at One Free Korea.

Something that has been left un-said in the media but on most people minds was if the Taliban sexually assaulted the women or not.  The hostages are not talking yet but reports are filtering out of Afghanistan that at least four of the hostages were sexually assaulted by Pakistani Taliban which set off a fight between two Taliban groups.  The sexual assault of the Korean women would be highly damaging to the Taliban’s effort to cultivate an image of being mujahadeen fighting for a Muslim cause in Afghanistan when they are going around kidnapping and raping women.  I’m sure we will find out sooner or later if the report is true or not, but I would not be surprised at all if some of the women were sexually assaulted by these Taliban criminals. 

Amazingly despite the deaths and possible rape of Korean missionaries, the Korea World Missions Association has vowed to continue their missionary work in Afghanistan.  Let’s hope next time they don’t take a bus with no security between Kabul and Kandahar.