Kabul
The Afghan government released nearly 200 Taliban prisoners to spur the start of long-delayed peace negotiations, senior Afghan officials said on Wednesday.
The fresh releases are from a group of 400 “hardcore” Taliban prisoners, the fate of which has stalled peace negotiations between the government and Taliban to end nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan.
This group of prisoners were released from the main jail in the capital Kabul on Monday evening and Tuesday at the same time six Afghan special forces members held by the Taliban were freed, the officials said.
“We want to finish the prisoner swap so we could start the peace process as soon as possible,” said a senior government official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.
A source close to the process said the prisoner swap was to be completed by Wednesday.
The 400 are the remainder of 5,000 Taliban prisoners set for release from Afghan jails as part of a pact in February between the United States and the Taliban allowing for the withdrawal of US troops. Their release was a condition for talks between the government and the insurgent group to start. — Reuters
