Kidnappers issue fresh deadline

The three had been helping with October's presidential election

The kidnappers of a Northern Ireland woman in Afghanistan have again extended the deadline for their demands to be met.

Annetta Flanigan from County Armagh and her United Nations colleagues, Filipino Angelito Nayan and Kosovan Shqipe Habibi, were seized in Kabul on 28 October.

The Army of Muslims, which claims to be holding the three, have given the authorities a new deadline of 0630 GMT on Wednesday.

The militants have demanded the release of 26 Taleban prisoners.

Sayed Khalid Agha, who claims to speak for the Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army of Muslims), was quoted by the Reuters newsagency on Tuesday.

He said: "We have had contact with representatives of the government and the United Nations who said they would respond to the demands tomorrow.

"So we have extended the deadline until 11am (0630 GMT) tomorrow."

BBC Afghanistan correspondent Roland Buerk said the sticking point could be that some of the 26 prisoners were in American custody.

"American policy is not to bow down to kidnappers in this way and free prisoners," he said.

Earlier, Afghanistan's presidential spokesman said both Ms Flanigan and Ms Habibi had been allowed to make telephone calls.

With negotiations in Afghanistan at a critical and delicate stage, neither the Foreign Office nor Ms Flanigan's family were able to confirm or deny this.

Annetta Flanigan was seized in Kabul

However, BBC Northern Ireland reporter Gordon Adair said he understood that a phone call from her had been received.

"The call was not made directly to her family, but is sure to come as a huge comfort to them," he added.

No details were released about who the call was made to or what was discussed.

Fellow hostage Ms Habibi was reported as having told a friend that she was well and was not being mistreated.

The militants have said they held weekend talks with government and UN negotiators and demanded the release of 26 Taleban members.

The militants said they had agreed to a government request for two days to locate the prisoners and that a second round of talks were starting on Tuesday.

The BBC's Roland Buerk said neither the UN nor the Afghan Government had confirmed this, but people claiming to be spokesmen for the kidnappers indicated Tuesday's negotiations had not gone well.

"There have been a number of deadlines set by this group," he said.

"I think it is hopeful that the group says it has softened its original demands. They originally wanted the UN and foreign troops to pull out of Afghanistan."

Ms Flanigan, from Richhill, had been helping to organise last month's presidential elections in the country.

A video was sent to the BBC and other broadcasters showing the three hostages slumped against a wall.

The group, which is believed to be a breakaway faction of the Taleban, issued a series of conditions for the hostages' freedom, including that foreign troops be withdrawn from Afghanistan.