(Bloomberg) -- Afghanistan will free three key Taliban leaders as part of a deal to secure the release of American and Australian citizens held captive since 2016 and open the door for talks with the militant group.
“Our joint efforts in tracing the two professors did not yield results, and reports suggest their health is worsening in captivity,” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told reporters in Kabul on Tuesday. In order to “provide the opportunity for direct talks with the Taliban, to achieve peace and stability, we have decided to conditionally release three Taliban prisoners.”
The Afghan government has been struggling to get the Taliban to the negotiating table and end 18 years of war that has killed tens of thousands of Afghan civilians and security personnel, more than 2,400 U.S. soldiers, and cost the U.S. nearly $1 trillion. U.S. President Donald Trump in September abruptly called off talks with the Taliban following the death of an American soldier in an attack claimed by the group.
Read more: Trump Says He Canceled Secret Camp David Talks With the Taliban
“The release of the top Taliban leaders is quite a significant step for peace as it can build mutual trust,” Ahmad Saeedi, an independent political analyst in Kabul, said by phone.
One of the militants to be released is Anas Haqqani, brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who leads the Haqqani network that is one of the deadliest in Afghanistan, responsible for attacks against American and Afghan government forces. The two others are Haji Mali Khan and Abdul Rashid Omari.
Kevin King, 60, and Australian citizen Timothy Weeks, 48, were kidnapped by the Taliban in 2016 while leaving the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul.
“In close consultation with our international partners -- especially the United States of America -- we have undertaken certain mechanisms and methods that can ensure that the release of the three men does not translate into the reinforcement of Taliban ranks or an increase in their attacks,” Ghani said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Eltaf Najafizada in Kabul at enajafizada1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Jeanette Rodrigues
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