The Afghan government on Thursday released 80 of the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners, paving the way for protracted peace talks after nearly two decades of bitter and violent conflict in the country.
WHILE THE FS IS FROM AFGHANISTAN, IRAN SEMENTS ARE WITH THE TALIBAN AND OFFICIALS
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani got ahead of the consultative assembly Loya Jirga, which sanctioned the release of prisoners in an attempt to speed up talks in the war-torn nation.
Some of the prisoners are involved in devastating bombings in the capital, Kabul. During a televised conversation Thursday with the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations, Ghani warned of dangers they could pose to lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Liberations on both sides are part of an agreement signed in February between the US and the Taliban in February. It called for the release of 5,000 Taliban held by the government and 1,000 government and military personnel held by the insurgent group as a gesture of goodwill prior to intra-Afghan negotiations.
Despite the exchange of prisoners on both sides, talks have called for a reciprocal peace agreement that should have begun to stall in March.
With the latest developments, Afghan leaders said the Associated Press could begin talks by August 20 in Qatar, where the Taliban is headquartered.
Another important stipulation of the proposed peace deal reached in Doha in February between the Taliban and the US is the large-scale withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
The US has gradually closed military bases and troops have been withdrawn from the region in recent months.
The US reduced the number of troops in the region to 8,600, down from a height of more than 100,000 in 2010.
By November, less than 5,000 troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan, down from nearly 13,000 when the February 29 agreement was signed.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
