Afghan authorities confirm the release of 361 Taliban prisoners so far
Kabul … News time
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy to Afghanistan’s reconciliation process, called the release of prisoners an important step towards peacekeeping. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Taliban released 20 Afghan soldiers a day ago, while hundreds of militants were released by the Afghan government last week. Zalmay Khalilzad said in a tweet on Monday that the release of prisoners is an important step towards peace and a reduction in violence. He called on the Afghan government and the Taliban to accelerate their efforts to achieve the goals set out in the US Taliban Treaty. “Release of prisoners is also an important step in the risk of their coronavirus outbreak in prisons,” he said.
The US State Department later said that Zalmay Khalilzad had left Qatar for further talks with Taliban representatives where they would discuss the challenges facing the implementation of the February 29 agreement with the Taliban. The deal agreed to the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners by the Afghan government and the release of 1,000 Afghan soldiers from the Taliban, which was expected before March 10. The target, however, could not be achieved in a timely manner. Afghan authorities, on the other hand, have confirmed the release of 361 Taliban prisoners so far, saying that they have taken a pledge not to resume military operations prior to their release.
