Don’t free killers of French citizens, Kabul asked

KABUL fighters convicted of killing French citizens.

The Foreign Ministry of France said: “The Afghan government has agreed to release 400 hard-core prisoners as part of moves towards peace talks.

The ministry quoted an unnamed official as saying on Friday that 80 of these convicts had been freed so far.

“France is particularly concerned by the presence among the individuals liable to be released, of several terrorists convicted of killing French citizens in Afghanistan,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

France firmly opposed the liberation of individuals convicted of crimes against French nationals, in particular soldiers and humanitarian workers.

“As a result, we have immediately asked the Afghan authorities not to proceed with the release of these terrorists,” the statement added.

Intra-Afghan talks between the government and the Taliban, which were scheduled to begin tomorrow (August 16) in Qatar, have been postponed due to international outcry over the release of six rebel prisoners.

But an official source told Pajhwok Afghan News the government’s negotiating team was expected to travel to Doha on Tuesday, blaming the delay on international criticism over the potential release of six Taliban prisoners.

sa/mud

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