Afghanistan continues with prisoner release despite Taliban protest
The government said that it was "open" to continue technical talks with the Taliban "to advance the peace process" to end the 19-year long deadly conflict in the country.
The government said that it was "open" to continue technical talks with the Taliban "to advance the peace process" to end the 19-year long deadly conflict in the country.
According to the ministry of Public Health figures, a total of 94 people have been infected by the COVID-19 virus in Afghanistan, while four have died.
Talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government to end the war will run parallel with the release, the decree said.
Any future treaty is expected to stipulate a gradual withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which is seen as the phase before the start of intra-Afghan peace negotiations.
The remaining 11 candidates had far fewer votes, with the fourth-place candidate winning less than 2 per cent.
Saturday's presidential election is the fourth in Afghanistan since 2001 when the US troops invaded the country to oust the Taliban regime.
A statement from the Election Commission said the campaign would conclude 48 hours before voting.
The statement also said that Pompeo and Ghani had agreed that "now is the time to accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated end to the war in Afghanistan".
Ghani's visit comes ahead of the seventh round of peace talks between US and Taliban negotiators slated to be held on Saturday
