Two South Korean hostages are escorted after their release in Galan district of Ghazni province, south-west of Kabul yesterday. - Reuters

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, (Reuters):

Taliban insurgents freed seven remaining South Korean hostages in Afghanistan yesterday after a six-week kidnap ordeal, following a deal that Afghan officials said included a ransom payment by Seoul.

The four women and three men were handed over in two batches to officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Ghazni province in south-east Afghanistan, from where the Taliban seized 23 Christian volunteers on July 19.

It was the largest case of abductions in the resurgent Taliban campaign since United States-led troops ousted the Islamists from power in 2001.

"I can see one Korean man and two women getting inside an ICRC car," a Reuters witness said after dusk outside Ghazni town as the last batch of three was handed over to the ICRC. "That is it, there are no more Korean hostages."

Reporters were not allowed to speak to the released captives.

The Taliban killed two male hostages last month, but later agreed to release 19 others they were still holding after Seoul agreed to pull all its nationals out of the insurgency-wracked central Asian country.

Some Afghan officials say South Korea agreed to pay a ransom during negotiations with the Taliban, which one foreign diplomat said started out as a demand for US$20 million.