Afghanistan authorities on Sunday, June 21 reported that Taliban militants kidnapped nearly 60 civilians in central Afghanistan over the last week. The officials added that more than half of the captured civilians are still being held amid peace talk efforts.
As per reports, Provincial deputy governor Mohammad Ali Uruzgani said that the militant group took hostages in the central province situated in Daikundi after a woman escaped a Taliban dominant village in the neighbouring province. He added that nearly 26 people, including women and children, had been released. However, Taliban, on the other hand, denied any kidnapping of the civilians.
After Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he will ‘expedite’ the process of releasing Taliban prisoners, sources of an international agency have revealed that Western nations are supporting Kabul in its denial free hundreds of those inmates who are accused of some of the most violent attacks.
The release of prisons held by the Afghan government is demanded by the extremist group as a condition to start peace talks and is mentioned in the US-Taliban peace deal. While the Afghan government has already released hundreds of Taliban prisoners, it has kept hold of some of them who are accused of gruesome crimes. If this final major point that has halted the intra-Afghan talks is resolved, it could lead to an end of over an 18-year-old war.
According to an international media agency, the Afghan government has till now released over 3,000 Taliban inmates and in exchange, the extremist group has also freed Afghan officials. A day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani pledged to speed-up the process of releasing Taliban prisoners, Afghanistan freed at least 100 inmates from the insurgent group to mark the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
Afghanistan’s National Security Council spokesperson Javid Faisal informed the international media that 100 Taliban prisoners have been released from the Bagram prison and the government plans on freeing at least 2,000 prisoners as a “goodwill gesture” after both sides agreed on a temporary ceasefire.
