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Ghani adamant that no more Taliban prisoners will be freed until bloodshed ends

Published

5 years ago

December 17, 2020

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said Thursday government will not release any more Taliban prisoners until the “bloodshed” in the country stops.

Addressing a press conference in Kandahar, Ghani stated that the Taliban needs to stop the violence before any more of their prisoners are released.

This comes after the group recently called for the release of an additional 7,000 prisoners, in line with a deal the Taliban signed with the US in February.

Ghani meanwhile said on Thursday: “If today I ask (order) to release 2,000 people (Taliban) would you (Ulema) release them? Definitely not!”

“First, they (Taliban) should stop the bloodshed then we will negotiate. Why are they afraid of stopping the bloodshed? My question is clear. If you (Taliban) want to get into politics, we are ready.”

Meanwhile, Ghani claimed the Taliban has destroyed 16 percent of Afghanistan’s infrastructure and capital investment, calling this an act of “fitna” – a word used to describe sedition to the extent where a person could be barred from practicing Islam.

Ghani stated that violence is not the solution for Afghanistan. “Peace does not come by killing, peace does not come from slander, but peace comes from acceptance.”

Meanwhile, First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who had accompanied Ghani on his trip, said that the Taliban have not fulfilled their commitments agreed to as per their deal with the United States. He said the group has not cut ties with al-Qaeda.

“The Taliban pledged to remove 19 to 20 terrorist groups from Afghanistan. None of these (promises) have been implemented. You witnessed that the third high-ranking al-Qaeda leader was detected in Ghani,” Saleh said.

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Afghanistan’s Embassy in Tokyo to suspend operations

Published

2 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Ariana News

The Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan, currently run by diplomats of the previous government, has announced that it will suspend its operations in Tokyo after the end of January 2026.

In a statement issued on Friday, the embassy said the decision was made after consultations with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close coordination with Japanese authorities, and in accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The embassy added that after January 31, all of its political, economic, cultural, and consular activities will be halted until further notice.

Currently, Shaida Abdali is serving as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Japan.

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Turkish Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul meets Zakir Jalali, discusses bilateral ties

Published

3 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Ariana News

Sadin Ayyıldız, Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, held a courtesy meeting with Zakir Jalali, the Second Political Deputy of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the start of his mission.

The Turkish Embassy in Kabul said in a post that the meeting included mutual exchanges of views on bilateral relations.