Afghanistan ? President Hamid Karzai declared Sunday that the abduction of 22 South Korean church workers by Taliban militants was an un-Islamic act that brought disgrace on Afghanistan.

Karzai issued his statement, his first since the hostage crisis began, after meeting with Baek Jong-chun, a special envoy sent by South Korea’s President Roh Moo-hyun.

Meanwhile, a purported Taliban spokesman set a new deadline of today for the freeing of 23 militants held by Afghan authorities, threatening to kill the hostages if the demand was not met.

The Korean church workers were seized by militants July 19 as they traveled along the Kabul-Kandahar highway.