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Taliban releases 20 prisoners of Afghan government
The Taliban has released 20 prisoners of Afghan government from its captivities after hundreds of inmate insurgents were released by the government over the last few days.
Suhail Shaheen, the group’s political spokesman said that the Taliban handed the prisoners over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in southern Kandahar province Sunday.
Jalaluddin Shinwari, Former Attorney General for the Taliban regime said, “These 20 prisoners are not released for exchange but for goodwill.”
Although the Taliban previously said that most of the prisoners who were released by the government are unknown, but now it confirmed that most of the released inmates were according to its list.
Sayed Akbar Agha, the former Taliban commander said, “The prisoners are according to the list provided by the Taliban.”
Khalil Safi, head of the Afghanistan peace center said, “The US should put pressure on both sides in order for the peace talks to start.”
This comes as the Afghan government released the third batch of 100 Taliban prisoners on Sunday bringing the total number of released prisoners by the government to 300, while the Taliban only released 20.
Based on the US-Taliban deal, before the Intra-Afghan talks start, five thousand prisoners of the Taliban and 1,000 prisoners of the Afghan government should be released, however, the process faced some challenges when the Taliban demanded 15 of their senior commanders to be released.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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