Six prisoners sought by Taliban head to Qatar on flight from Afghan capital: Sources
Six prisoners sought by the Taliban militant group have left the Afghan capital Kabul on a flight to Qatar, sources say, a move that will pave the way for long-awaited peace negotiations to begin.
The prisoners, whose identities were not yet disclosed, left Kabul on a flight to the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday evening, Reuters quoted two unnamed Afghan government sources as saying.
The inmates were accused of carrying out insider attacks on Afghan government troops and their release were objected by a number of Western powers.
According to the sources, the prisoners are to be kept under supervision in Doha, where US-brokered peace talks will also initially take place.
“The six will remain in Qatar until the end of November and could be transferred back to Kabul,” one of the sources said.
Citing three government sources and a diplomatic one, Reuters further reported that the Afghan negotiating team as well as Abdullah Abdullah, the head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), were planning to fly to Doha on Friday.
The opening ceremony for peace talks has been planned for Saturday followed by technical discussions on the agenda for negotiations, Reuters further said.
After months of delay, the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are expected to begin this weekend in an attempt to end 19 years of war in the Asian country.
Back in February, Washington reached an agreement on troop withdrawal from Afghanistan with the Taliban, according which “up to” 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 government prisoners would be released before talks.
Under the deal with the US, the militant group also agreed to stop its attacks on foreign forces.
The Afghan government was a party neither to the negotiations nor to the deal, but it has been acting in accordance with its terms, including by agreeing to free Taliban prisoners.
The Taliban have formerly refused to recognize the Afghan government as legitimate.
Afghanistan has been gripped by insecurity since the US and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror in 2001. Many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops.
Washington invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban-run government in 2001 on the pretext of fighting terrorism following the September 11 attacks in New York.
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