TALIBAN MEMBERS FREED AS U.S. ENVOY VISITS AREA

Pakistan released two Taliban officials on Monday during U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s latest visit to the region, in what could be part of American efforts to revive peace talks with the insurgent group, which now controls nearly half of Afghanistan.

Abdul Samad Sani, a U.S.designated terrorist who served as the Afghan Central Bank governor during the militants’ rule in the late 1990s, and a lower-ranking commander named Salahuddin were released Monday, according to two Taliban officials.

Efforts to find a peaceful end to Afghanistan’s protracted war have accelerated in recent months, as a troop surge announced by U.S. President Donald Trump last August has done little to change conditions on the ground.