Historic peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban are "about" to begin, the Afghan government announced Sunday (August 9th) after announcing the release of 400 new Taliban prisoners.

"In order to remove obstacles to the opening of peace talks, to put an end to the carnage, and for the good of the public, the jirga approves the release of the 400 prisoners requested by the Taliban," the member said on Sunday. great Afghan assembly, Atefa Tayeb.

"We are on the verge of (starting) peace negotiations," said Abdullah Abdullah, government official responsible for the talks. 

The resolution recommending the release of the prisoners was adopted after three days of discussions. The future of these prisoners represents a crucial stake in the opening of negotiations between the Taliban and the government, the two camps having engaged in an exchange of prisoners which must precede these discussions.

Kabul has already released nearly 5,000 Taliban prisoners but the Afghan authorities have so far refused to release the last 400 captives claimed by the insurgents.

A group of 44 "unwanted" captives 

Among them, according to the official list consulted by AFP, are more than 150 condemned to death, as well as a group of 44 "unwanted" captives, a kind of blacklist filled with profiles deemed problematic by the American and Afghan authorities. , but also other countries.

Five of them, for example, played a role in the 2018 attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, in which 40 people were killed, including 14 foreigners. 

On Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on dignitaries to accomplish this "unpopular" release.

With AFP

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