KABUL (SW) – The President’s office said on Monday that despite the near complete release of Taliban prisoners by the government, the insurgents have not released a number of security forces prisoners.
Sediq Seddiqi, the presidential spokesman, called on the Taliban to release the captives of the security forces.
This comes as the Taliban claim to have released up to a thousand security forces, under the Doha peace agreement.
He stressed that the Afghan government's negotiating team was ready for direct talks and that the Taliban should be prepared for negotiations. The Taliban have been asserting that delay in release of remaining 400 insurgents remains a hurdle in commencing the intra-Afghan talks.
The Afghan government has released 80 of the 400 Taliban prisoners based on the decision made at the grand consultative ‘Loya Jirga. The release of the remaining prisoners has stalled following reactions from a number of countries. The presidential spokesman added that a number of foreign allies are concerned about the release of six or seven Taliban prisoners.
France and Australia are two countries that have called on the Afghan government not to release prisoners who have killed their citizens.
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