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Remaining Taliban prisoners will not be released: Atmar
Acting Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar says the Afghan government would not release the remaining Taliban prisoners, adding that the prisoners were involved in “unjustifiable war crimes, and smuggling.”
In an interview with an Indian network, Atmar said that the obstacles to the start of talks between Afghans are the lack of reduction of violence by the Taliban and the release of prisoners of this group.
Although he considers the release of the remaining Taliban prisoners to be impossible due to insignificant crimes and opposition from a number of countries, he calls on the Taliban to find a new list for the release of other prisoners in the group.
In order to resolve the issue, Atmar stated that the government told the Taliban to submit another list of prisoners so that the government could decide on their release.
However, sources close to the Taliban say the Taliban’s position is based on a peace agreement with the United States and that it is unchangeable.
On the other hand, Atmar called peace with the Taliban and cutting the group’s ties with other terrorist groups in the region very important in order to bring security to the because he believes that without the Taliban, no agreement is acceptable with other terrorist groups.
In this conversation, the Afghan official called on India to play an active role in encouraging countries in the region and the world to start a dialogue between Afghans.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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