The Taliban said on Saturday it had freed two female South Korean hostages, but local and national government officials so far have said they could not confirm the claims.

|PIC1|Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters by telephone from an unknown location, "Today at 6.30 pm (1330 GMT), we released two of the female Korean hostages who were seriously ill, without any condition.

"It's possible that at any moment they will reach Ghazni, it all depends on the transport. As far as we are concerned, they are free ... It's a gesture of good faith to the people of Korea and to the Korean delegation in Afghanistan."

However, the governor of Ghazni province, where the church volunteers were kidnapped on 20 July, and a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said they had no confirmation at all of any release taking place.

So far the Taliban has already killed two male hostages and threatened to kill more among the remaining 21, 18 of whom are women, unless Taliban prisoners are freed in exchange.

Earlier in the day insurgents reported to media that weekend talks with Korean diplomats were going well and the hostages would be freed in a prisoner swap, although a provincial governor reported with a less optimistic tone.

Mawlavi Nasrullah, one of two Taliban negotiators in the talks reported: "We assure you and the whole world that all of the Koreans will be released and will go to their homes. And our prisoners will come to their homes."

Taliban and Korean diplomats have been holding face-to-face talks since late Friday.

The second Taliban negotiator, Qari Bashir, added: "We are very hopeful that this issue will be resolved today or tomorrow inshallah (God willing)."

He also told that the remaining 21 hostages were well.

However, the governor of Ghazni, who was present during the talks, said, "I don't know anything about that. You should ask the Taliban. I don't know why the Taliban are so sure,"

Merajuddin Pattan told Reuters: "We haven't got any clear result so far and the talks will continue tomorrow. The Taliban are still asking for the release of 21 prisoners. We'll see what will happen."

Advising cautious optimism, a government official in Seoul also reported that the release of the hostages was by no means imminent.

Afghan officials have previously ruled out any prisoner swap and have threatened to free the hostages by force if necessary.

The talks are being held at a Red Crescent building in the city of Ghazni where the Afghan government has guaranteed the safety of the Taliban negotiators.

The Taliban say they have split the hostages into small groups and said any use of force to try to free them would greatly endanger their lives.