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Taliban accuses Afghan govt. of recapturing released prisoners
AT News
KABUL: The Taliban has asked their freed prisoners to stay at home and pin down from returning to the battlefields, a concern enveloping by the Taliban as the Afghan government rearrested some freed prisoners on the spot fighting against the Afghan security forces.
Taliban’s Qatar-Based Spokesman, Suhail Shaheen said they have instructed the released prisoners to stay at their homes and not return to the battlefields. “They have strictly acted on it.”
Shaheen said that the Afghan intelligence agency had conducted surprise operations against the released militants.
The spokesman, Shaheen in a nutshell, had warned the Afghan intelligence department of dire consequences if it did not stop raids and detention against the Taliban members.
“Notwithstanding that, they are incessantly raided, detained and put behind the bar by NDS of the Kabul Administration,” he said in a tweet message.
He added; “Therefore, we announce to the Kabul Administration to shun from such violations and provocative actions. Otherwise, the Administration will bear responsibility for the consequences.”
Afghan authorities are opening prison doors for thousands of the Taliban prisoners in a high-risk gambit. The Afghan government has to release 5,000 Taliban inmates as part of a peace deal signed between US-Taliban on the last day of February in Doha. Since then over 4000 prisoners have been released, and the Taliban should also release some 1000 Afghan security forces under their custody. So far around 800 intimates have been released.
The presidential palace has expressed concerns over the return of the Taliban’s freed prisoners to the battlefield.
Palace deputy spokesman Dawa Khan Menapal, said it was expected to see reduction in violence in the wake of prisoner exchange process, and the Taliban intimates would not be returned to the battlefield.
The Afghan masses wanted the violence to be decreased as the process began, and also the freed prisoners would not go back to the warfare, he said.
Unfortunately, the war has been intensified, and this is unacceptable to the Afghan people and the government, he added.
At least 46 civilians were killed and 93 others wounded in the violence committed by the Taliban in the past one week, an uptick in violence that could jeopardize the fragile peace process.
“Violence has not decreased! Taliban killed 46 civilians and wounded 93 in 401 terrorist activities in just one week. Peace requires commitment and will, which aren’t visible in the actions of the Taliban,” Spokesman for the National Security Council, Javid Faisal said on Saturday.
The majority of casualties happened in Helmand, Badghis, and Ghor provinces.
On July 18, the National Security Council said at least 129 civilians were killed and 291 others wounded in the violence committed by the Taliban in the past one month.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has said that the recent increased insecurity has caused the killing of averagely 16 civilians each day across the country.
“Our assessments indicate that on average 16 people who have no role in the clashes are killed every day around the country. 630 children have been killed and wounded in the first half of 2020,” said Zabihullah Farhang, spokesman of the human rights commission.
