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US envoy calls Afghan prisoner releases ‘important step’ for peace
KABUL, April 13, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The US special envoy who
negotiated a deal with the Taliban said Monday that an initial
prisoner exchange between the insurgents and the Afghan government was
an “important step” toward peace.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the
Taliban on Sunday released 20 Afghan security-force prisoners. The
move came after the government last week released hundreds of
insurgent captives. “The release of prisoners is an important step in
the peace process and the reduction of violence,” US Special
Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said on
Twitter.
“Both sides should accelerate efforts to meet targets specified in
the US-Taliban agreement as soon as possible,” he added, noting the
exchange was more important than ever with prison populations
threatened by coronavirus outbreaks.
The State Department later said that Khalilzad flew to Qatar for
fresh meetings with Taliban representatives on overcoming the
“challenges” to the deal.
Khalilzad and the Taliban signed the February 29 accord that paves
the way for US and other foreign forces to quit Afghanistan in return
for various commitments from the insurgents.
The deal said the Afghan government would release 5,000 Taliban
prisoners while the insurgents would free 1,000 Afghan security force
personnel.
The exchange was supposed to have happened by March 10, allowing
peace talks to begin between the Taliban and the Afghan government —
but the process has been beset with problems.
Kabul has claimed the Taliban want 15 of their “top commanders” to
be released, while the insurgents have accused Afghan authorities of
needlessly wasting time.
A small Taliban team met with the government to discuss a
comprehensive prisoner swap last week, but walked out of talks after
officials began releasing prisoners only gradually.
On Sunday, the Taliban told AFP that their decision to release a
group of prisoners was “a goodwill step … to accelerate the prisoner
exchange process”.
Kabul says it has now released 300 low-risk Taliban prisoners, who
have pledged not to return to the fight and are being let go based on
various factors including their health, age and length of remaining
sentence. Among those freed was Shams-ul-Rahman, 26, from Bagram
district in Parwan province outside Kabul.
He said he was released from Bagram prison last Wednesday having
served more than five years, during which time he was locked up
alongside Islamic State fighters, Taliban members and drug dealers.
“On Wednesday, the prison officials gave us new clothes and we were
released with 99 other inmates and given 5,000 afghanis ($65) in
cash,” Rahman told AFP. Local authorities told AFP that Rahman had
been in the Taliban, though Rahman denied links to the group.
“The last 19 years of war have shown that nobody will be victorious
through war,” he said.
“All Afghans must live in unity and peace, and the bloodshed must
end. We have given a lot of sacrifices.”
BSS/AFP/MRU/2133hrs