Prisoner release postponed, endangering peace deal

KABUL — The Afghan government postponed the release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners Saturday, an Afghan official said, a decision that could sabotage a peace deal signed last month between the Taliban and the United States.

Jawed Faisal, spokesman for the Afghan National Security Adviser’s office, said the releases were being delayed because more time was needed to review the list of prisoners. The move comes despite President Ashraf Ghani’s decree earlier in the week promising the start of the releases Saturday as a good will gesture to get intra-Afghan negotiations started.

The U.S.-Taliban deal was touted at the time as the best chance at ending Afghanistan’s endless wars and bringing U.S. troops home after nearly 19 years.

The U.S.-Taliban deal called for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban as well as 1,000 Afghan government captives ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations, considered a critical next step to reaching a lasting peace in Afghanistan.

Ghani’s decree promised the release of 100 prisoners a day beginning Saturday until 1,500 prisoners were released. He would then release the remaining 3,500 after intra-Afghan talks began and those releases would be staggered and would go ahead only if talks progressed and Taliban reduced violence.

Although Ghani’s decree differs from the U.S.-Taliban deal, Faisal insisted Ghani was committed to releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

The Taliban said they are committed to the deal they made with the United States but would not start negotiations with Kabul government or other political leaders until the prisoners were freed.

The withdrawal of troops by the United States has already begun.