Taliban threaten retaliation against South Korea for sending troops back to Afghanistan

Taliban threaten South Korea over Afghan troops

KABUL — The Taliban has threatened to retaliate against South Korea for its decision to send troops back into Afghanistan, according to a statement e-mailed to media outlets.

South Korea has pledged to send 350 troops next year to protect its civilian aid workers, a move the Taliban charged violates a pledge in 2007 to withdraw permanently in exchange for the release of 19 hostages.

The 2007 pullout of the country’s 200 troops was previously planned, but followed closely after the hostage standoff. The Taliban killed two South Koreans after demanding Seoul immediately withdraw troops. South Korea has had no forces in Afghanistan since then.

South Korea’s leaders “should be prepared for the consequence of their action, which they will certainly face,” according to the statement sent late Wednesday from an e-mail address regularly used by the extremist Islamist group.

“They had promised to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan and committed never to send soldiers to the country in future,” the statement said.

Officials from South Korea’s Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff denied promising the Taliban that the country would never send troops to Afghanistan again. They spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report from Seoul, South Korea.