Taliban inmates walk free as Eid ceasefire enters final day

The Afghan authorities released hundreds more Taliban prisoners yesterday, as calls grew for the militants to extend a ceasefire beyond its third and final day.

The pause in fighting – which came into effect on Sunday to mark Eid Al Fitr – was, for the most part, holding across the country, officials said.

Kabul responded to the Taliban’s offer of a threeday ceasefire by announcing plans to release up to 2,000 insurgents.

On Monday, 100 were released and the government said it planned to release another 900 – the biggest group of Taliban prisoners to be freed yet.

National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal told AFP the amnesty was to “advance the cause of peace, including the continuation of the bilateral ceasefire and the immediate start of direct negotiations”.

The ceasefire, only the second in the 19-year conflict, has raised hopes of an extended truce that could pave the way for peace talks between the Taliban and Kabul.

“Extend the ceasefire. Save lives,” Shaharzad Akbar, head of the Afghan Human Rights Commission, said.

“End the violence so that we can all focus on making services available to the most vulnerable across the country, on expanding access to human rights, so that we have space to breathe.”

The Taliban indicated the group could extend the ceasefire by seven days if the government sped up the release of prisoners.

Another insurgent source said militants planned to release about 200 Afghan security force members.

The Taliban have insisted they want about 5,000 members to be released, as agreed in a deal with the US.

The agreement, signed in February, paves the way for all foreign forces to leave Afghanistan by next year.

It also stipulates that the Afghan government would release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the militants would free about 1,000 national security staff.