The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad on Wednesday said the Washington would like the Afghan government to begin the process of releasing Taliban prisoners as soon as possible in line with the historic peace agreement.
Taking to Twitter, Khalilzad said, “No prisoners have been released to date despite the commitment to do so expressed by both sides”.
“Coronavirus makes prisoner releases urgent; time is of the essence. We are committed to do our part and after consultation with all relevant sides, the US understands,” TOLO News quoted Khalilzad as saying.
In a series of tweets, the US envoy said that technical teams from both sides can work together and focus on steps to begin prisoner releases as soon as possible.
“The Taliban commit that released prisoners will abide by the commitments made in the peace agreement and not return to the battlefield”, he added.
Last week, Khalilzad expressed hope for the intra-Afghan talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban would conclude in 100 days.
The intra-Afghan talks which were slated to begin on March 10 in Oslo were delayed because of the issues over the timing of the Taliban prisoner release.
The US-Taliban deal signed in Qatar on February 29 calls for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners to open the way for intra-Afghan negotiations.
Earlier, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has pardoned thousands of Taliban prisoners in a key preliminary step to intra-Afghan talks between a government delegation and the extremist group.
Ghani’s move to release the 5,000 inmates marks the beginning of negotiations to end the 19 years of war that have pitted the Taliban against the government in Afghanistan.
The deal would contribute to bringing stability back to Afghanistan and promote regional and international security, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
More than 10,000 civilians were killed or wounded in Afghanistan’s war last year, the United Nations announced Saturday, as a historic partial truce kicked in across the country. India did not recognise Afghanistan diplomatically when Taliban was ruling the country from 1996 to 2002.