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KABUL: The National Security Council said that only 19 of the prisoners freed by the Taliban are the military personnel, following the government and militant group prisoner exchange process to pave the ground for the next phase of the fragile Afghan peace process.
Spokesman for the NSC, Javid Faisal told the newsmen on Saturday that of 60 prisoners released by the Taliban, “19 of them are security forces’ personnel and others are civilians.”
According to him, a number of teenagers have always been among the released prisoners, adding that the prisoners have been brutal oppressed by the militants.
He said the Taliban have been abducting civilians to meet the principals of the peace deal signed between the militants group and US back in February 29th.
Faisal said the Afghan government has handed over a complete list of the prisoners held in the militant’s custody but the group has so far not freed any of them. He emphasized on reduction of violence, saying that the militants have not cut down their attacks on the Afghan security forces.
As part of the US-Taliban peace deal, the Afghan government has released 361 Taliban prisoners. The Taliban in return freed 60 people. After weeks of pressure by the US, the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had signed a gradual release of the Taliban prisoners. Based on US-Taliban peace deal, the Afghan government would release 5,000 Taliban prisoners in return for 1,000 prisoners held in the militants’ custody.
