MONITORING (SW) – U.S. President Donald Trump has hailed the release of two foreign teachers from the Taliban’s captivity in Afghanistan.
In a tweet, President Trump also hailed his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani for his role in the successful prison swap. “We join families of Kevin King & Tim Weeks in celebrating their release from Taliban captivity. Thanks to President Ghani for his courageous support. Let’s hope this leads to more good things on the peace front like a ceasefire that will help end this long war. Proud of my team”, he tweeted.
Commenting on this, Akram Arifi, an analyst on political affairs, said this indicates a green light from the U.S. President for the revival of talks from the beginning. He added the release of top three Haqqani Network prisoners also meant the U.S. expect the Taliban to move ahead with practical measures for peace in Afghanistan.
The Westerners were released to American forces by the Taliban, and included an American, Kevin C. King, 63, and an Australian, Timothy J. Weeks, 50, teachers at the American University in Kabul who were abducted in 2016, the New York Times reported.
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