GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - Afghanistan's Taliban said more of the 21 South Korean hostages could be killed at 'any time' after a Wednesday deadline expired and negotiators asked for a 48-hour extension.

The noon (0730 GMT) deadline was the latest in a series imposed since 23 hostages were seized two weeks ago. The militants have killed two of their captives -- one late Monday after two other deadlines expired.

'After the deadline passed, one or more hostages could be killed any time,' Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - A Taliban deadline of noon (0730 GMT) Wednesday for the Afghan government to agree to its demands in return for freeing 21 South Koreans expired apparently with no agreement reached.

One of the chief negotiators, Waheedullah Mujadadi, said however that authorities were trying to persuade the Taliban to allow a South Korean delegation to meet some of the hostages.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, July 31, 2007 (AFP) - Afghanistan's Taliban set the government a new deadline of noon (0730 GMT) Wednesday to meet its demands in order to save 21 South Koreans a day after a second hostage was killed.

'Our last deadline for the 21 surviving South Koreans is tomorrow 12 o'clock,' Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP.

'If our demands are not met by then, we will start killing the rest of the South Koreans,' he said, accusing the Afghan and South Korean governments of dishonesty in negotiations to free the group that was kidnapped on July 19.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, July 31, 2007 (AFP) - Afghanistan's Taliban set the government a new deadline of noon (0730 GMT) Wednesday to meet its demands in order to save 21 South Koreans a day after a second hostage was killed.

'Our last deadline for the 21 surviving South Koreans is tomorrow 12 o'clock,' Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP.

'If our demands are not met by then, we will start killing the rest of the South Koreans,' he said, accusing the Afghan and South Korean governments of dishonesty in negotiations to free the group that was kidnapped on July 19.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, July 30, 2007 (AFP) - A Taliban deadline of noon (0730 GMT) Monday for the Afghan government to agree to free rebel prisoners to save the lives of 22 South Koreans expired but there was no word on the fate of the hostages.

Spokesmen for the Islamic militia and the government-appointed negotiating team had turned their telephones off and could not be reached for comment.

A Taliban spokesman said Sunday the government had until noon to agree to release certain jailed militants otherwise it would start killing the 22, who include 16 women.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 29, 2007 (AFP) - Afghanistan's Taliban said Sunday they would kill some of their 22 South Korean hostages unless progress was made by noon Monday (0730 GMT) on their demand for the release of jailed militants.

The Taliban leadership announced that if the Afghan and South Korean governments 'don't pay attention to this issue by tomorrow 12 o'clock, the Taliban will kill some Korean hostages,' a militant spokesman told AFP.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - The Taliban Friday urged the Afghan government to speed up the release of rebel prisoners in exchange for South Korean hostages, but set no new deadline after one expired earlier.

The militants had earlier set a midday Friday (0730 GMT) deadline to arrange the release of the remaining 22 Christian aid workers now in their ninth day of captivity. The leader of the group has already been killed.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Taliban militants holding South Korean hostages in Afghanistan set a 'final deadline' of 2030 GMT Wednesday for their demands for a prisoner swap to be met, after killing one of the captives.

'We`ve set a new deadline for 1:00 am Thursday (2030 GMT Wednesday). If our demands are not met we`ll kill some more hostages,' Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - A Taliban spokesman said Tuesday that talks to secure the release of 23 South Korean hostages had entered a 'very sensitive phase' as a deadline to kill the captives passed.

'The negotiations continue. Right now they are in a very sensitive phase,' Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

'We`ll talk later about the results rather than about the deadline which passed,' he said without elaborating as the 1430 GMT deadline passed.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Taliban militants on Monday extended the deadline for their South Korean hostages by another 24 hours, but told the government to put them in direct contact with Korean negotiators.

'We`ve extended the deadline by another 24 hours' until 1430 GMT Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location, minutes after the previous limit expired.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 22, 2007 (AFP) - The Taliban said Sunday it had extended by 24 hours the deadline for demands to be met for the release of South Korean hostages held in Afghanistan.

The Islamic militants had earlier threatened to kill the 23 South Koreans if an equal number of rebel prisoners was not freed by 1430 GMT on Sunday, but they later entered into talks with the government.