MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2020) Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Sunday that the process of the release of Taliban militants from prisons would be expedited and welcomed the ceasefire announced by the Taliban.
"As a responsible government we want to move one more step forward: I am announcing that the release of Taliban prisoners will be expedited and we call on the Taliban that they also expedite the release the security and defense prisoners," Ghani said as aired by TOLOnews broadcaster in an address to the nation on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
The Taliban militant group declared on Saturday that it would cease fire for three days to honor the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Ghani welcomed the group's decision and said he had ordered the Afghan National Defense Security Forces to comply with the truce that took effect on Sunday.
According to the president, the government's negotiating team is ready to begin intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible.
The United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement at the end of February. The main premises of the deal are the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the launch of intra-Afghan peace talks, subject to a mutual exchange of prisoners. There has been little progress in the Afghan peace process amid continuing violence in the country.
