Kabul, July 29 (Reuters): Taliban leaders today said their fighters would kill the 22 remaining South Korean hostages if the Afghan government did not release rebel prisoners by a new deadline of 0730 GMT tomorrow, a spokesperson said.

Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said the deadline had been set by the Taliban leadership council, headed by elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, giving the threat added weight.

The kidnappers killed the leader of the Korean group on Wednesday, but several further deadlines have passed without the rebels carrying out their threat to kill the remaining hostages.

“Since the talks between us, the Kabul administration and Korean government have reached deadlock and they are not honest... hence, we will start killing the hostages if they do not start releasing our prisoners by tomorrow at 12 ’clock,” Yousuf told Reuters by telephone from an unknown location.

Sporadic talks between the Afghan government and South Korean diplomats on one side and Taliban rebels on the other have continually snagged over the rebel demand for Kabul to swap jailed insurgents for the Koreans.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has previously ruled out any deal with the Taliban after coming under harsh criticism for freeing five rebel prisoners in exchange for the release of an Italian hostage in March.

In his first comments on the latest hostage case, Karzai condemned the kidnapping, but did not say whether any deal might be possible.