Afghan peace talks near as Taliban prisoners release okayed

KABUL: The Afghan government and the Taliban are "on the verge of peace talks" after thousands of prominent Afghans approved the release of about 400 contentious militant prisoners, the head of Kabul´s peace council said Sunday.

The prisoners´ fate has been a crucial hurdle in launching peace talks between the two warring sides, which had committed to completing a prisoner exchange before negotiations can start.

The resolution was passed at the end of a three-day "Loya Jirga" -- a traditional Afghan meeting of tribal elders and other stakeholders sometimes held to decide on controversial issues.

"In order to remove the hurdles for the start of peace talks, stopping bloodshed, and for the good of the public, the Jirga approves the release of 400 prisoners as demanded by the Taliban," Jirga member Atefa Tayeb announced.

According to an official list seen by AFP, many of the inmates are accused of serious offences, including many involved in attacks that killed scores of Afghans and foreigners, with more than 150 of them on death row.

The Jirga urged the government to give assurances to the population that the released prisoners would be monitored and would not be allowed to return to the battlefield, adding that foreign fighters should be sent back to their respective countries. It also demanded a "serious, immediate and lasting ceasefire" in the country.

"The decision of the Loya Jirga has removed the last excuse and obstacles on the way to peace talks. We are on the verge of peace talks," said Abdullah Abdullah, who is leading the government´s peace process and was appointed head of the Loya Jirga.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he would sign a decree to release the prisoners on Sunday.

"The Taliban should now demonstrate that they are not afraid of a nationwide ceasefire," he said.

Security forces on Sunday said they arrested 11 Islamic State members who planned to attack the gathering.

The Afghan government has released almost 5,000 Taliban inmates, but authorities had baulked at freeing the final prisoners demanded by the Taliban. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed for the release of the detainees, while recognising the decision would be "unpopular".

The prisoners include 44 insurgents of particular concern to the United States and other countries for their role in "high-profile" attacks.

Five are linked to the 2018 attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul that killed 40 people, including 14 foreigners.

A Taliban militant involved in the massive May 2017 truck bombing near the German embassy in Kabul is also on the list, which includes a former Afghan army officer who killed five French troops in an insider attack.

The family of French aid worker Bettina Goislard who was murdered in Afghanistan in 2003 said they would not accept the release of her killers, who are on the list.

"Such a decision to free (them) made on the basis of horse-trading would be, to us, her family, inconceivable," Bettina´s family said in a statement to AFP before the decision was announced.

On the first day of the gathering, lawmaker Belquis Roshan, a prominent women´s rights activist, protested against the release of the prisoners, unfurling a banner that read: "Redeeming Taliban is national treason."

The decision has raised hopes for peace talks, however.

"Based on the information I have, the intra-Afghan talks would begin within two to three days after the release of the 400 Taliban prisoners," former president Hamid Karzai told the Loya Jirga.

Pakistan welcomed the Afghan Loya Jirga’s recommendation to release remaining 400 prisoners, hoping the step would pave way for early commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations.

“We hope that with implementation of this step relating to the prisoners’ release, as envisaged in the US-Taliban Peace Agreement, the intra-Afghan negotiations will commence at the earliest,” Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.

Pakistan has repeatedly emphasised that Afghan leaders must seize this historic opportunity and work together constructively through intra-Afghan negotiations to secure a comprehensive, broad-based and inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan.

The spokesperson urged the international community to reinforce its support for the success of intra-Afghan negotiations for sustained and durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

For its part, Pakistan has consistently supported an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. Pakistan’s positive contribution to the process is internationally recognised, said the spokesperson.

“Pakistan reaffirms its support for a peaceful, stable, united, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan, at peace with itself and with its neighbours,” the statement added. – Agencies