There has been no immediate information about 22 South Korean hostages held in Afghanistan by the Taliban after the seventh deadline expired at 12:00 PM (07:30 GMT) on Monday.

A purported Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi closed his mobile phone on Monday when being reached by the media.

Meanwhile, Alishah Ahmadzai, police chief of Ghazni province, where the hostages are being held, told Xinhua that no progress has been made in the talks and the Afghan government has asked the Taliban to extend the deadline for another two days.

Taliban militants have stuck to the exchange of South Korean hostages for Taliban prisoners, but the Afghan government apparently is reluctant to release the prisoners.

A total of 23 South Koreans were kidnapped by Taliban militants on a road in the central Ghazni province on July 19. One male hostage was executed by Taliban insurgents on July 25.

(Xinhua News Agency, July 30, 2007)