Rescue Mission Launched To Free South Korean Hostages?

Fox News is reporting that Afghan forces have launched a rescue mission to free the 21 remaining South Koreans held hostage by the Taliban. I wish them lots of luck, as all indications are that the Taliban would likely kill their hostages if the rescuers got close.

Afghan forces launched an operation Wednesday aimed at rescuing the remaining 21 Korean hostages held by the Taliban in Ghazni province, according to media reports, hours after the expiration of another Taliban deadline.

The Reuters news agency quoted a government official who confirmed the operation had begun.

"The operation has started," Khowja Seddiqi, the district chief of Ghazni's Qarabagh district, told Reuters.

Further details about the raid were not available.

The latest deadline for the lives of the remaining 21 South Korean hostages passed without immediate word on their fate earlier Wednesday.

The deadline passed a day after Afghan police found the body of a second hostage slain since the group of 23 church volunteers were seized two weeks ago. A purported Taliban spokesman had demanded the release of eight militant prisoners, including some held by the United States at Bagram.

UPDATE:
It would appear that there are disputed reports on whether a rescue attempt was launched to free the 21 South Koreans in Afghanistan. Michelle has the latest, and continues to wonder why the US media is not covering this story more.

UPDATE:
Announcing that a rescue operation is underway, even if it turns out to be false, only increases the risks to the hostages themselves. The first news reports should indicate that the rescue was already carried out and successfully liberated the hostages from their bloodthirsty captors. All captors are dead and liberated of their weapons. Someone was quite irresponsible in publishing these reports.

UPDATE:
Michelle is reporting that Reuters has withdrawn its news report.

Please be advised that the Kabul datelined story reporting that an operation to rescue 21 Korean hostages held by the Taliban had begun is wrong. The official cited in the story did not make the comment reported. There will be no substitute story.

Wow. Just wow. Someone invented the story? Someone didn't vet the story or check its accuracy before it ran? Still, the correction has come within a few hours of publication, though that time frame may have put the lives of the hostages in jeopardy.