The delegations of the Afghan government and Taliban movement have exchanged lists of prisoners who are to be returned to their respective sides so that the long-awaited intra-Afghan peace talks can begin, sources from the Taliban told Sputnik on Thursday
KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2020) The delegations of the Afghan government and Taliban movement have exchanged lists of prisoners who are to be returned to their respective sides so that the long-awaited intra-Afghan peace talks can begin, sources from the Taliban told Sputnik on Thursday.
On Wednesday, technical teams from the government and Taliban began discussions on the release of prisoners in the presence of representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
According to the sources, both sides considered the talks helpful and positive. During the discussions, the participants agreed to release 100 Taliban prisoners every day and send them to their homes with the help of the ICRC, which has provided special vehicles for transporting them.
Afghan National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal said that the two sides would continue technical talks on the prisoner swap on Thursday, and refuted reports that they would be exchanged on Thursday and that hundreds of Taliban members would be released in exchange for a mere 20 Afghan soldiers.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Kabul Wang Yi told reporters after handing over medical supplies to the Afghan government that Beijing was still ready to play an intermediary role in the national reconciliation process.
The prisoner swap is a precondition for the start of intra-Afghan talks, which are envisaged in a peace deal signed by Washington and the Taliban in late February. Specifically, the Taliban has demanded the release of 5,000 its members from Afghan prisons. As a result, President Ashraf Ghani announced that the prisoners would be released gradually, depending on the success of the negotiations.
