PULI ALAM

Afghan village elders negotiated with the Taliban Tuesday to try to win the release of a group of foreign hostages, officials said, but no progress was reported so far.
The insurgents seized eight Turks, a Russian, a Kyrgyz man and an Afghan after their civilian helicopter made a forced landing due to bad weather on Sunday in a rugged eastern district part-controlled by the militia.
The Taliban, who are fighting an 11-year insurgency against US-led Nato troops and the Afghan government, initially claimed the foreigners were linked to the US military. "The Taliban have now realised that the hostages are civilians," said Arsala Jamal, governor of Logar province where the helicopter came down. "But I cannot say there has been any progress so far in the talks to get the hostages released," Jamal told AFP, speaking of discussions between the elders and the militants.
Abdul Wali Wakil, head of the elected provincial council, said the hostages were fine apart from one Turk, who apparently suffers from heart problems and was sent medicine through the negotiators. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP earlier in the day the captives "have been moved to a safe area, they have no health problem and they are fine". Speaking by phone from an undisclosed location, he said they were still in Afghanistan. 
The Mi-8 helicopter, carrying Turkish road engineers and with a Russian and Kyrgyz crew, landed in Azra district, not far from the border with Pakistan where the Taliban have rear bases.
The seizure was the largest abduction of foreigners in almost six years, and highlighted Afghanistan's continuing insecurity as Nato combat troops prepare to pull out next year. In two deadly incidents Tuesday, police said four children aged under 10 died when a mine planted by the Taliban exploded while they were collecting firewood in Maruf district of the southern province of Kandahar. And two foreign soldiers died after an insurgent attack in the east, the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said in a statement which did not give their nationalities.