ZCZC
BFF-36
AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT-TALIBAN
Taliban reject Afghan offer to free 1,500 prisoners before talks
KABUL, March 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The Taliban on Wednesday rejected Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani’s offer to release 1,500 insurgent prisoners ahead of
peace talks, saying it wanted 5,000 captives freed before opening
negotiations.
Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told AFP that “5,000 prisoners
should be released as a trust-building measure, and that this should be
before the intra-Afghan talks”.
Any changes amounted to “a violation” of the deal struck between the
insurgents and Washington in Doha last month, he added.
BSS/AFP/RY/1835 hrs