Talks held with IEA over release of American prisoners: Miller

The US Department of State says it has held talks with the Islamic Emirate about the release of US citizens imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press conference in Washington, the US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said that Thomas West, the country’s special representative for Afghanistan, spoke with a representative of the Islamic Emirate about the issue this week.

“I want to say that the security of American citizens is our priority, not only in this conversation but also in previous conversations, we emphasized the freedom of American citizens in Afghanistan. We discussed this issue with the leaders of the Taliban [Islamic Emirate] and insisted,” said Miller.

However, Miller did not reveal the identities of the American prisoners nor why they had been arrested.

Washington has alluded to Americans being held in Afghan prisons in the past few months but has not said how many or who they are.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the IEA Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Americans were in prison in the country but he also failed to provide details.

“This issue is not very accurate so far, the number and what are their issues have a security dimension and judicial bodies will decide in this direction. So far, no progress has been made and we do not have more details,” said Mujahid.

It is not yet clear how long these American citizens have been held in Afghan prisons, but the Islamic Emirate has said that the cases of these prisoners are being investigated by the judiciary.