Afghanistan: Taliban reject Kabul offer to release 5,000 prisoners

Text by: RFI Follow

While the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is underway in Afghanistan as provided for in the Doha agreement signed on February 29, tensions persist between the Taliban and the Kabul government. Inter-Afghan dialogue was scheduled to start on March 10. It was a condition of the agreement. But bottlenecks persist over the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

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With our correspondent in Kabul, Sonia Ghezali

It was a progressive measure. 1,500 Taliban prisoners were to be released from this Saturday, March 14, at the rate of 100 detainees per day. The following were then to be released in groups of 500 once the inter-Afghan dialogue started and on the condition of a reduction in violence noted on the ground. By this announcement, President Ashraf Ghani had finally given in at the request of the Taliban but on his conditions.

It was not enough. " The 5,000 prisoners must be released at the same time, " responded one of the Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar , on Wednesday. Inter-Afghan talks will not begin until after liberation has taken place, he added.

The optimistic American envoy

Another condition of the Kabul government: a significant reduction in violence. " Our armed forces are in a defense position at the moment but they will go on the offensive in the coming days if a sharp reduction in violence is not observed, " warned the spokesman for official president Ashraf Ghani .

The presidential palace has also announced that it is finalizing the list containing the names of the team of negotiators who will sit at the negotiating table with the Taliban. Optimist Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy for peace in Afghanistan , said he hoped the inter-Afghan negotiations will be completed in 100 days. They still have to start.

► Read also: Afghanistan: difficult dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban despite the Washington agreement

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