Afghan Taliban prepare for peace talks with US

PESHAWAR: The Taliban are preparing to send a delegation for more talks with US officials about ending the conflict in Afghanistan, two officials involved with the process said, adding that the meeting could address a possible prisoner swap.

The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said yesterday that Taliban leaders were meeting to discuss the makeup of the three or fourperson delegation and the subjects to be discussed.

They said the Taliban would like to discuss an exchange of prisoners and may hold another meeting soon if the United States showed seriousness in talks by freeing prisoners.

“We’ll see if the United States is serious and sincere in negotiations.

“We would hand over a list of prisoners in jails across Afghanistan. If they set our prisoners free, we would meet again for another great cause,” one of the officials said.

If confirmed, it would follow an earlier round of talks in Doha in July, where Taliban officials met Alice Wells, principal deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia at the US State Department.

Hopes for peace talks to end the 17year conflict in Afghanistan have stuttered in recent months, following the failure to agree on a repeat of the unprecedented Eid ceasefire in June, which saw unarmed Taliban fighters mingling with security forces in Kabul and other cities.