31 more Taliban prisoners released, says NSC

KABUL (Pajhwok): Another 31 Taliban prisoners have been released as part of efforts to advance the peace process and check the Covid-19 spread, the National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday.

The Taliban inmates were freed late on Wednesday in compliance with President Ashraf Ghani’s March 11 decree, NSC spokesman Javid Faisal told Pajhwok Afghan News.

“Pursuant to the president’s decree, 31 Taliban prisoners were released yesterday based on their age, health and length of remaining sentence…” he said.

Late Tuesday, 52 Taliban prisoners were released from the Pul-i-Charkhi prison on the eastern outskirts of Kabul.

The Afghan government has so far released 933 Taliban prisoners from different jails across the country, Faisal added.

Three days back, President Ghani’s spokesman Sediq Seddiqi warned efforts for bringing peace to the country would fizzle out if the Taliban did not reduce violence.

He urged the insurgent movement to take the coronavirus threat seriously and consider declaring a ceasefire.

The US has been pressing the Afghan government and the Taliban to accelerate prisoner releases to pave the ground for the launch of intra-Afghan talks.

The Taliban have so far freed 127 government prisoners from their jails.

pk/mud