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Afghan security forces released 43 civilians and military personnel from a Taliban prison in the southern province of Zabul during a secret operation, the country’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
Twenty of the prisoners were transferred to the provincial capital and the rest returned to their military units, according to a ministry statement.
The operation was confirmed by a spokesman for the provincial authorities.
The Taliban, who have been particularly powerful in the province and control much of it, have yet to react to the news.
The operation comes in the context of talks between the government and the Taliban, which included a large prisoner swap as a precondition.
The Afghan government released some 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the militants released 1,000 captured military personnel to clear the way for intra-Afghan talks.
However, after almost a month since the beginning of the talks, no progress was made in the process and the negotiating teams have not yet managed to finalize a joint agenda for their discussions.
