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Afghanistan releases over 500 Taliban prisoners

Iran Press TV

Tue Dec 24, 2013 4:1PM GMT

The Afghan government says it has released more than 500 Afghan and Pakistani Taliban prisoners during the past 15 months.

Afghan security sources said at least 536 Taliban militants including several Pakistani nationals were released on presidential decrees and on the request of the Afghan high peace council.

A number of high profile Taliban leaders including close aides of the Taliban fugitive leader Mullah Omar were also among those who were released to assist peace process in the war-torn country.

This comes while Afghanistan is seeking help from neighboring Pakistan to open up a direct channel of communication with Taliban militants.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has urged Pakistan several times to facilitate the peace talks with the militant group.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has released dozens of high-profile Afghan Taliban prisoners over the past few months in a bid to help the ongoing peace process in the war-ravaged country.

Senior Pakistani officials said the Islamabad government has facilitated the ongoing controversial secret peace talks between the Taliban militants and the United States. Pakistani negotiators have been persuading the Taliban leadership in recent weeks to embark on peace talks with the Americans and the Afghan government.

The Taliban have so far refused to contact the Afghan government because they consider Karzai a "US puppet." The Afghan High Peace Council has been making efforts to initiate dialogue with the militants.

The relations between Kabul and Islamabad are traditionally mired in distrust. Afghanistan and Pakistan blame each other for the Taliban violence plaguing both countries.

Over a decade of the costly US-led war in Afghanistan has failed to end the militancy in the country and the US, which has thousands of troops on the ground in Afghanistan, is now trying to sit down for talks with the Taliban militants.

The United States and its allies entered the war in Afghanistan in October 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but after 12 years, the foreign troops have still not been able to establish security in the country.

JR/PR