Afghanistan: President Ghani rejects Taliban prisoner release

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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that "I have not committed to release 5,000 prisoners yet" rejecting a clause of the U.S. Taliban deal stipulating the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners by March 10.

Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace on Sunday Ghani said "I have not committed to release 5,000 prisoners yet. I have shared this issue clearly with Dr. Khalilzad [Zalmay Khalilzad] and other officials that this is the Afghan people’s right to choose and they can decide."

Referring to the deadline set in the agreement he added "we cannot reach peace consultations [with Taliban] just in three days."

The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban on Saturday, in the Qatari capital of Doha, aiming at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing US troops to return home from America's longest war to date.

US-Taliban peace deal stipulates that the Afghan government and Taliban must complete a prisoner exchange by a deadline set for the start of the intra-Afghan talks, March 10, with the Afghan government releasing 5,000 of the Taliban prisoners.

Video ID: 20200301-035

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