Afghanistan frees ‘most dangerous’ Taliban militants to secure peace

Ben Farmer

AFGHANISTAN has released the first batch of the final 400-strong tranche of Taliban prisoners who are due to be freed to pave the way for negotiations between the warring sides.

The high-security prisoners reportedly include hardcore militants accused of some of the most heinous crimes of the recent conflict and who pose a danger to the world, Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan president, has said.

Disagreement over whether they should be freed held up the search for peace until Mr Ghani convened a traditional council of leaders to gain consensus on their fate. “The government ... yesterday released 80 Taliban convicts out of the 400 that the Consultative Loya Jirga sanctioned for release to speed up efforts for direct talks and a lasting, nationwide ceasefire,” Javid Faisal, spokesman for the Security Council.

The Taliban has said they will not begin official talks with Mr Ghani’s government until a total of 5,000 of their prisoners have been released, as outlined in a February deal reached for America to withdraw its troops. The final 400 represent the most dangerous and controversial of that list. The Afghan government has refused to release a full list of the Taliban convicts, but it is reported to contain the culprits behind several suicide bombings in Kabul.

Others are thought to be significant opium and heroin traffickers. Australia has lobbied Kabul not to release one of the prisoners, who is thought to be a rogue Afghan soldier who shot dead three Australian soldiers in 2012.

Mr Ghani said this week that the releases were the price of peace. He said those on the list were likely “to pose a danger both to us and to [America] and the world”.

While the opposing sides have haggled over prisoners, US troops have pulled out of bases, driven by Donald Trump’s desire to end US military involvement in the country. By November, fewer than 5,000 troops are expected to still be in Afghanistan, down from nearly 13,000 when the Us-taliban agreement was signed on Feb 29.

If the remaining prisoners are freed quickly, talks between Afghan government and Taliban negotiators could begin in Qatar by the end of the month.

The discussions – to reach an agreement on how Afghanistan can be governed and how the Taliban might somehow share power – are likely to be lengthy and difficult, diplomats warn.