KABUL (SW) – US President Donald Trump and Qatari leader Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani have agreed in a phone call on the importance of reduction in violence in Afghanistan, the White House said.
In their telephone conversation on Wednesday, Trump and the Qatari leader also agreed on the importance of continuing discussions on prisoner releases in Afghanistan, the White House said in a statement.
The Qatar News Agency said the two leaders "discussed the strategic relations between the two countries" and "reviewed the latest developments in the regional and international arenas".
No further details of their conversation were made public.
The US-Taliban deal in February called for the government to release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban to free about 1,000 detainees by March 10, when they were to open talks to end years of strife. The Taliban demanded Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government, which was not a party to that deal, to release all 5,000 prisoners at once before negotiations, Al Jazeera reported.
To apply more pressure on the government, they also stepped up attacks on Afghan security forces. President Ghani rejected the demand and has begun a phased release of 1,500 prisoners, while the Taliban has freed 40 detainees so far, it added.
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