Prisoner swap clearing hurdles in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan－Afghanistan began on Thursday the process of releasing from jail 100 Taliban militants in a prisoner swap for 20 members of its security forces, a senior security official and a Taliban representative said.

It is the first step toward freeing 6,000 prisoners held by the Afghan government and the insurgent group, and is among confidence-building measures key to the success of a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban to end nearly two decades of war.

"It was decided in the morning that 100 Taliban should be released in exchange for 20 members of Afghan security forces today," said a senior official in the office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

The names of those to be released had been sent to prison authorities, the official added.

The Taliban have said the swap begins this week as teams from the warring sides work out technical details and logistics for receiving prisoners amid a novel coronavirus pandemic.

"The technical issues require some time," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman."I think the release of 100 Taliban fighters and 20 Afghan security force members will happen either tomorrow or the day after."

A three-member Taliban team arrived in the capital Kabul on Tuesday to begin the process for the prisoner exchange and meet with Afghan officials, despite a nationwide lockdown implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The meeting was observed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, Afghanistan's Office of the National Security Council said on Twitter.

The two sides met in the Serena Hotel, a luxury facility in central Kabul that has been the scene of several Taliban-claimed attacks during the 18-year war. They also met again for several hours on Wednesday.

"The two sides held face-to-face negotiations about the release of Afghan National Defense and Security Force personnel as well as Taliban prisoners," the council said.

It was the first time the hardline militants had been invited to the Afghan capital to meet directly with government officials since they were toppled in the US-led invasion of 2001. The two sides had spoken previously in a video-conference to discuss the prisoner issue.

One Taliban source had said if the two sides can reach an agreement, the release would begin on Saturday.

The group now controls more than 40 percent of Afghan territory.

New developments hailed

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo termed the new developments as "good news", a week after he had visited both government leaders in Kabul and Taliban representatives in the Qatari capital Doha, where the Afghan militants have an office, to urge them to move forward with the peace process.

Washington signed a deal with the Taliban in late February that promised the withdrawal of US and foreign troops from Afghanistan by July next year, provided the Taliban start talks with Kabul and adhere to other guarantees.

The deal required the Afghan government－which was not a signatory to the accord－to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, and for the insurgents to release 1,000 pro-government captives in return.

The imbalance is one of many aspects of the agreement that observers say give the Taliban the better bargain.

The Taliban source in Doha said the Afghan government had agreed to the initial release of 1,300 Taliban prisoners, but the insurgent delegation is insisting on the full 5,000.

Despite the talks and the lockdown, the violence has not ebbed.

Eight civilians, including children were killed in an explosion when their vehicle hit a landmine planted by the Taliban in southern Helmand Province on Wednesday, a provincial official said. Neither the Taliban nor any other group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.

On March 29, a series of Taliban attacks killed at least 20 Afghan security force personnel.

Taliban fighters said security forces are the target of their roadside bombs and landmines, but civilians are frequently hurt or killed.

Agencies Via Xinhua