Taliban Release Two Western Hostages In Afghanistan

The Taliban handed two Western hostages over to US forces in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, three years after they were abducted, in a successful swap for three high-ranking insurgent prisoners that could boost peace talks

Kandahar, Afghanistan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Nov, 2019 ) :The Taliban handed two Western hostages over to US forces in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, three years after they were abducted, in a successful swap for three high-ranking insurgent prisoners that could boost peace talks.

The exchange of American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks for the militants -- including Anas Haqqani, brother to the Taliban's deputy leader -- was termed a "confidence-building" measure by both the Australian government and the insurgents.

"We are profoundly pleased and relieved", Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement, adding that Weeks' family had asked the government to convey their relief and gratitude.

King and Weeks, both professors at the American University inKabul, were kidnapped by gunmen wearing military uniforms in the heartof Afghan capital in August 2016.