Two Taleban officials held talks with South Korean delegates

A senior Afghan official has said he expects two South Koreans being held by Taleban militants to be released by Monday evening.

Ghazni province governor Mirajuddin Pattan said the Taleban had "promised" to release two women aid workers.

Earlier Taleban claims that the two hostages had been freed over the weekend proved to be untrue.

The women - both of whom are ill - are among 21 South Korean aid workers kidnapped last month.

"The Taleban have promised us that they will release two of the female hostages on Monday," Mr Pattan was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Swap ruled out

A Taleban spokesman had told reporters on Saturday that the two had already been freed - but he later said the timing of the release was yet to be decided.

The same spokesman, Yusuf Ahmadi, has now said the two hostages will be freed at 1600 local time (1130 GMT) on Monday.

However, Mr Ahmadi is not always reliable and has at times given false information, reports the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul.

South Korean officials held direct talks with the Taleban over the weekend. The Taleban want their militants released from Afghan jails.

The Afghan government, stung by criticism over a previous prisoner exchange, has ruled out a swap to secure the release of the Koreans.

Mr Ahmadi on Sunday said the two ill hostages would be freed because of progress made during two days of talks in the central city of Ghazni.

The Taleban have already killed two of the Koreans, including the leader of the group.

The South Korean Christian aid workers were seized on 19 July.

The original group of 23 - most of them women - was captured on the main road from Kabul to Kandahar.