Former spy chief and presidential runner Rahmatullah Nabil says he opposes prisoner swap with Taliban in principle, especially the release of Anas Haqqani, but he supports the development only if it paves the way to commence formal intra-Afghan peace talks.
It is said that the US wants to exchange a number of senior Taliban prisoners, including Anas Haqqani, for two professors of American University of Afghanistan, who were taken hostage in 2016 from Kabul city and is believed to have been in captivity of the Haqqani Network since then.
The senior Taliban commanders that are supposed to be released were arrested when Nabil was head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS).
Nabil says release of the Taliban commander poses a threat to security of Afghanistan, but he believes if it helps begin peace talks, the compromise should be made.
“In principle, I oppose the prisoner swap, because it can further encourage kidnappings. But if it’s a step towards peace, despite I being dissident, the exchange should be made,” Nabil told ToloNews.
Taliban reportedly asked for the release of at least 80 of their members, and Nabil says three of them are key Taliban commanders.
“As I’ve heard, the key figures in the list are Anas Haqqani, brother of Mullah Omari, Mullah Hafiz Rashid, and Mali Khan, who is an important member of Haqqani Network,” the former spy chief stated.
However, sources close to Taliban say that the US and the militant groups have not reached any final deal on the details of the prisoner swap.
“The US and Taliban agreed to the exchange, but any final agreement on the exact number of individuals has not been achieved so far,” Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban official, said.
Meanwhile, Sadiq Sediqqi, presidential spokesman, says the government will decide about the inmates exchange in light of the national interests of the country.
