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Taliban says conditionally ready to start negotiations after Eid al-Adha
Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, said the group is ready to release the remaining government prisoners by Eid al-Adha, in case the government also releases the remaining 600 prisoners of the Taliban according to the list already shared with the government.
The Taliban are ready to start negotiations between Afghans immediately after Eid, provided the government releases the group’s 600 prisoners on a pre-arranged list.
Shaheen said in a tweet that the group is “ready to release all remaining prisoners of the #Afghan gov’t before the eve of Eid al-Adha provided they release our prisoners as per our list already delivered to them.”
However, the government says the Taliban must reduce violence to start peace talks.
The failure to release some 600 Taliban prisoners from government custody is a controversial issue, and the Independent Human Rights Commission has backed the decision.
“We call on the government to investigate the situation of 592 prisoners. Prisoners who violate human rights and civil rights should not be released at all,” said Zabihullah Farhang, spokesman for the Human Rights Commission.
Some experts say the government is challenging the peace talks by not releasing 600 Taliban prisoners.
“We urge the Afghan government and the US Special Representative for the Afghan peace to take a major action that can be taken to start inter-Afghan talks,” said Negina Yari, a member of the Afghanistan Peace House board.
“There is a good opportunity for negotiations and the demand for the release of their prisoners is a legitimate demand and the government must act,” said Shahzada Massoud, a political analyst.
But the NSC office said that although Taliban prisoners had promised not to return to the war after their release, a number of released prisoners are now fighting against security forces.
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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