South Korea Gets Hostage Release; Pledges End To Missionaries In Afghanistan

In Afghanistan today, Taliban militants released 8 of the remaining 19 Christian volunteers that they had kidnapped an held as hostages since July 19. The International Herald Tribune reports that as part of the deal, South Korea has agreed to prevent South Korean churches from engaging in evangelical activities in Afghanistan. South Korean church groups said they will go along with the agreement. South Korea will also withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by year's end, as it had already planned to do.