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The Afghan government announced on Thursday the release of nearly all 400 remaining Taliban prisoners, under a prisoner swap agreement, with the exception of a few that France and Australia refused to release, in an important step in the process of releasing them. peace in Afghanistan.
The two rivals are a few steps away from the start of the talks, which have been expected for months, scheduled in Doha, following the completion of the prisoner swap deal.
Kabul has already sent a technical team to Doha, where the movement’s political office is located, while the negotiating team is expected to head to the Qatari capital later on Thursday.
“The government has released the last 400 prisoners, except for a few that concern our partners,” National Security Council spokesman Javed Faisal wrote on Twitter.
“The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan received our special forces personnel who were being held by the Taliban, after which the government released the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners, except for a few that our partners have remained,” he said.
“Diplomatic efforts continue and we hope that direct talks will begin immediately,” he said.
Two Taliban officials confirmed the release of the prisoners, noting that the prisoners who were opposed by France and Australia are still in government hands.
One of them told AFP, requesting anonymity, that “Australia and France have some reservations about them.”
“The Kabul administration will send them to Qatar, where they will be detained during the Afghan talks,” he added.
However, a Western diplomatic source said the decision had not yet been made.
Paris and Canberra opposed the release of gunmen on the list linked to the killing of French and Australian civilians and soldiers in Afghanistan.
No date has yet been set for the start of the Doha negotiations.
– Continuous postponement –
Negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban were to begin in March under the terms of the February agreement between the United States and the Taliban, which did not include the Afghan government.
The agreement stipulated that Kabul would release 5,000 fighters in exchange for the release of 1,000 Afghan soldiers by the Taliban.
But the continued postponement of the swap agreement and the rebel demand for the release of 400 prisoners charged with serious crimes delayed the entire process.
In turn, the Taliban declared their readiness to start peace talks “within a week” after the end of the prisoner exchange, and blamed Kabul for delaying the negotiations so far.
On Wednesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani explained that a “decisive stage for peace” had been reached, indicating that the talks could reduce the level of violence and achieve a permanent ceasefire in the country.
After the swap deal was completed, Afghan officials called for direct talks with the Taliban to begin immediately.
“The Afghan government has removed all obstacles to starting direct talks,” said Najia Anwari, a spokesman for the State Ministry for Peace. She added: “The negotiating team is now fully prepared to attend the talks.”
Fereydun Khuzun, spokesman for the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation in Afghanistan, the local body leading the peace process, confirmed that the Afghan government-backed negotiating team “will depart for Doha” on Thursday.
The two sides have been embroiled in a two-decade military conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead.
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 before a US invasion toppled the country.
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