The Taliban claim that they had killed two German hostages in Afghanistan is incorrect and one of the hostages is still alive, but the other died of a heart attack, an Afghan official has said.
Citing Afghan security sources, Foreign Ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen, said: "The information we have is that one of them has died of a heart attack and the other one is still alive," he said.
Asked why a Taliban spokesman reported earlier in the day that the group had killed the pair, he said the militants' spokesman did not have credible information.
The two unidentified Germans along with six Afghan colleagues were kidnapped at gun point while traveling in a vehicle on Wednesday in Wardak province which also lies to the southwest of Kabul.
German media said the two men were engineers being escorted by their Afghan colleagues when they were taken away.
The Taliban demands were withdrawal of German troops serving under NATO in Afghanistan and the release of all Taliban prisoners held by Kabul.