Kabul refuses to free hundreds of Taliban captives

KABUL: Afghan authorities said Wednesday they will not release hundreds of Taliban captives deemed "too dangerous" despite planned peace talks that hinge on the prisoner exchange.

Under the terms of a US-Taliban deal, Kabul pledged to free some 5,000 Taliban prisoners in a swap that would see the Taliban release around 1,000 Afghan security force captives. But National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Javid Faisal said that 600 prisoners the Taliban asked to be freed still had "serious criminal cases" against them.

They include people charged with murder, highway robbery and evensodomy, as well as hundreds of foreign fighters, another government official said on condition of anonymity. "They are too dangerous to be released," the official said.

The Taliban on Wednesday accused the government of fabricating criminal cases against the prisoners. "If they continue to create more problems in this regard, it shows they do not want issues to be solved through reasonable ways," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.