The Presiedent of Afghanisthan, Ashraf Ghani has agreed to release 400 Taliban prisoners. He agreed to this decision after an Afghan grand assembly. Known as the Loya Jirga, passed a resolution to approve the move.
The resolution recommending the release of the prisoners got approval on Sunday. At the end of a three-day Loya Jirga. A traditional Afghan meeting of tribal elders and other stakeholders held to decide on momentous issues.
The prisoners’ fate was a crucial hurdle in launching peace talks between the two sides. The Afghan government has released all the Taliban prisoners on the list. The authorities have baulked at freeing the final 400.
The list includes a group of 44 fighters of particular concern to the United States. The other countries for their role in “high-profile” attacks.
“The prisoner-release was the only hurdle that has now removed. The agreement was to release 5,000 Taliban members. The ceasefire discussed in the intra-Afghan talks,” Mushtaq Rahim, a founding member of Afghanistan Affairs Unit, an Afghan think-tank, told Al Jazeera.
