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July 22, 2007

Afghan Defence Ministry denies hostage rescue bid

KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan Ministry of Defence spokesman on Sunday denied any operation had been launched to rescue 23 South Korean taken hostage by Taliban insurgents south of the capital Kabul.

"The operation has not begun yet, it must have been a computer error," said ministry spokesman Zahir Murad referring to a Ministry of Defence statement.

Earlier, the ministry statement said a joint operation with international forces had been launched to rescue the Koreans seized in Ghazni on Thursday.

This picture released July 21, 2007 in Seoul via Yonhap News Agency shows South Korean Christians posing for a commemorative photograph before leaving for Afghanistan on July 13. (REUTERS/Yonhap)
The governor of Ghazni, and spokesmen for both the U.S. and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan all said they had no knowledge of any such operation.

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