The Afghan government has released a total of 3,000 Taliban prisoners as a part of an agreement signed between the US and the terrorist group, the National Security Council (NSC) said on Tuesday. “The Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released 3,000 Taliban prisoners as part of its commitment to advancing peace efforts. Further releases will continue in tandem with reduction in violence and progress toward direct negotiations with the government,” NSC spokesperson Javid Faisal said in a tweet.
According to the NSC statement, 1,000 of them were released prior to the Eid ul-Fitr holiday on May 23-24, while the list of the other 2,000 was completed on Monday. They were released from the detention centre in Parwan province as well as the Pul-e-Charkhi prison and other penitentiary facilities.
On February 29, the United States and the Taliban signed a peace deal in the Qatari capital of Doha, stipulating the beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations as well as prisoner exchanges.
Initially, the Taliban and the Kabul government did not show much inclination to negotiate with each other. However, the prisoner exchanges that have been taking place over the last few months, as well as the recent Eid ul-Fitr ceasefire, demonstrating some potential for a breakthrough in the Afghan peace process.
