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WAKIL KOHSAR
The prisoners after President Ashraf Ghani ordered their release on July 31
The Afghan government has begun releasing the last 400 Taliban prisoners, paving the way for long-delayed peace talks.
Eighty prisoners were released Thursday, officials said, some of whose crimes include attacks on Afghans and foreigners.
The release was a condition of negotiations to end 19 years of conflict in the country.
Peace talks are expected to begin within days of full release in Qatar.
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The release was “to accelerate efforts for immediate talks and a lasting, nationwide ceasefire,” Afghanistan’s Bureau of National Security Council said in a Tweet.
Over the weekend, an Afghan grand assembly of elders approved the release of the 400 Taliban detainees accused of “major” crimes after authorities initially refused to release the militants.
The prisoners include about 44 insurgents who are important to the United States and other countries for their roles in high-profile attacks.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani warned on Thursday that her release was a “danger” to the world, AFP reported.
“Until this issue, there was a consensus on the desirability of peace, but not on its cost,” Mr Ghani said.
The Taliban were ousted from power by Afghanistan in 2001 by a US leadership.
The group has gradually regained its power to control more territory than at any point since then.
Earlier this year, the US and the Taliban agreed on a peace treaty to end the 19-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.
The deal was intended to pave the way for talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, who had previously only agreed to talk to the US.
Negotiations for the US and Taliban had agreed that 5,000 Taliban prisoners would be released before talks with the Afghan government began.
Thousands were released – however, 400 remained in prison. About 150 of them are on death row, according to AFP.
The move comes as the US announced that its troop level in the country would drop below 5,000 by November.
