SKorea vows to go ahead with Afghan troop dispatch/Taliban warns SKorea after 'breaking promise'

[Turborama]

Source: AP

South Korea vowed Thursday to press ahead with plans to send troops back to Afghanistan despite a Taliban threat of retaliation.

=snip=

The Taliban said in a statement Wednesday that the move would violate a South Korean promise in 2007 to withdraw from Afghanistan permanently in exchange for the release of 21 hostages.

Officials from South Korea's Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff denied that the government made such a promise to the Taliban. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

=snip=

Under a Defense Ministry plan, the new troops are to be deployed from July 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2012, in Parwan, where the main U.S. base is located. The ministry was expected to submit a request to the National Assembly later Thursday for its approval.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2009/12/10/taliban_threaten_south_korea_over_afghan_troops/

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Taliban warns SKorea after 'breaking promise'

Source: AFP

The Taliban on Thursday accused South Korea of breaking a promise not to send troops to Afghanistan after it released 19 Korean hostages two years ago, warning its forces to face the consequences.

Seoul decided this week to deploy 350 troops to Afghanistan next July -- two years after it pulled out a 220-strong contingent of military engineers and medics in return for the release of Korean hostages.

At the time, South Korea said the pullout was already scheduled.

"They had promised to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan and committed never to send soldiers to the country in future," the Taliban said in a statement written in English and emailed to journalists. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan notifies... South Korea that if they anyway send troops to Afghanistan and violate their commitment, then they should be prepared for the consequence of their action which they will certainly face."

The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean church volunteers while they were travelling between Kabul and the southern province of Kandahar in July 2007.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hhckDdQe6LTEnBhhoUoLJgg1qRoQ

[beyond cynical]

1. There is a special relationship between South Korea and the US.

I just hope they don't loose their nerve this time.