MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th December, 2019) Anas Haqqani, senior commander of Taliban's Haqqani network, who was released from Bagram prison in November in a prisoner swap, expressed concern over the attitude toward prisoners and expressed confidence that if prisoners were treated well, they could assist Afghan peace process.
On November 19, US national Kevin King and Australian national Timothy Weeks were handed over to foreign forces in Afghanistan in exchange for three senior commanders of the Haqqani network, which is part of the Taliban. The two men, both American University lecturers, were kidnapped by the Taliban in 2016.
"Prisoners in Bagram prison are not being treated well. If they are, I believe it may have a good impact on the peace process," Haqqani said in an interview.
Haqqani, who confirmed that he had joined Taliban's political office in Qatar upon his release, denied any guilt and criticized the US and the Afghan governments for having punished him with lengthy sentence.
"I was not legally guilty, but the US arrested me in Bahrain in violation of the laws, handed over to national security, and twice sentenced in court without documents and evidence," he said.
Anas Haqqani, son of the network's late founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, was arrested in Bahrain on October 12, 2014, and spent over five years in prison. The Haqqani network is accused of deadly attacks in Afghanistan, and all the responsibility for the attacks was attributed to Haqqani.
