Afghan government delays Taliban prisoners release plan

KABUL－Plans for the Afghan government to begin releasing Taliban prisoners were stalled on Saturday over disagreements on the number of detainees to be released and guarantees that they will not return to fighting, a government security spokesman said.

The Taliban promised to open talks with the Afghan government as part of an accord reached with the United States last month to end 18 years of US involvement in the war in Afghanistan.

The Taliban said the agreement required the government to release 5,000 prisoners before talks began, but the government said that the talks must begin and violence subside before it will free all the detainees.

Earlier this week, President Ashraf Ghani agreed to free 1,500 prisoners on Saturday with plans to release the remainder once conditions were met.

"We are ready to start the process the way it is described in the presidential decree, but we won't release anyone if there is no guarantee that they will not return to fighting," said Javid Faisal, spokesman for the Afghan government's national security adviser.

The Taliban are refusing to accept a partial release of the prisoners or any conditions on their release, its spokesman told media.

Ghani's decree said the government would release 1,500 captives starting Saturday if the insurgents cut violence, with plans to free another 3,500 prisoners after negotiations begin.

"We want guarantees that they will not return to fighting," Faisal said.

Since the US-Taliban agreement was signed in Doha on February 29, violence has flared up, with the insurgents carrying out dozens of attacks across the country, killing Afghan forces and civilians.

There was no immediate reaction from the Taliban to the delay announcement, which is likely to further stall peace talks, which were originally expected to begin on March 10.

On Wednesday, the government warned it would resume offensive operations against the militants if violence continued, ending a unilateral partial truce put in place ahead of the talks.

Political chaos in Kabul has complicated matters further, with Ghani's former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah also claiming the presidency.

On Monday, Abdullah swore himself in as president minutes after Ghani took the oath of office.

According to the Doha agreement, foreign forces will withdraw from the country within 14 months in exchange for Taliban security guarantees and a pledge to hold talks with Kabul.

Xinhua - Agencies