U.S. accused of slowing release of hostages

KABUL, Afghanistan – Taliban-linked militants threatening to kill three U.N. hostages accused the United States of hampering their release, though an Afghan official said Saturday a ransom demand was the main stumbling block.

Jaish-al Muslimeen, or Army of Muslims, a spinoff of Afghanistan’s former ruling militia, is publicly demanding the release of 26 Taliban suspects in exchange for the three foreign election workers, abducted more than two weeks ago.

The group says some of the men it wants freed are in American custody. But U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage opposed any concessions during a visit to Kabul earlier this week.

Mohammed Akbar Agha, the group’s purported leader, said Armitage had dashed hopes the hostages could be freed before the Islamic feast of Eid al-Fitr, which began Saturday.

“The negotiators from the Afghan government contacted us on Friday, and we discussed the whole situation,” Agha told the Associated Press in a telephone call from an undisclosed location.

“We were hopeful that the issue would be resolved before Eid, but remarks by Richard Armitage caused some delay. We may take a final decision about their fate today.”

Angelito Nayan of the Philippines, Annetta Flanigan of Northern Ireland and Shqipe Hebibi of Kosovo were seized at gunpoint Oct. 28 – the first abduction of foreigners in the capital since the Taliban was ousted three years ago by a U.S.-led invasion.

Jaish-al Muslimeen released a video of the three hostages, reinforcing fears that the little-known rebel group is imitating kidnappers in Iraq. But officials suspect that criminals or renegade militia forces also may have been involved.

The Afghan government and the United Nations have declined to detail their efforts to free the hostages, though one Afghan official told the Associated Press on Saturday about the ransom demand.

Militant spokesmen have denied demanding a ransom and say they want the freedom of 15 men picked up near the southern border town of Spin Boldak a month ago, and 11 more detained earlier.

The militants say all 26 are in U.S. custody, some of them possibly in the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

But American spokesman Maj. Mark McCann said the military had not received any list of names, and he reiterated Armitage’s statement that U.S. policy opposed making concessions.