No progress in Taliban hostage talks

Talks Thursday between Afghanistan's Taliban and a South Korean delegation trying to free 19 hostages ended with the militants reporting no progress.The two sides met for three hours in the small town of Ghanzi, south of Kabul, said a Taliban spokesman and a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross that has been facilitating the meetings.Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP that representatives of his militant movement had demanded the release of eight Taliban prisoners."But so far our demands have not been accepted and there has been no development in the negotiations," Ahmadi said.A Red Cross official said it was not immediately clear if there would be a new round of discussions on Friday.The Taliban have killed two of the 23 South Korean aid workers they abducted July 19 and threatened to kill more. On Monday they released two women hostages as a "gesture of goodwill."