US envoy says Afghan prisoner releases an 'important step'

KABUL (AFP) - The United States special envoy who negotiated a deal with the Taleban said on Monday (April 13) that an initial prisoner exchange between the insurgents and the Afghan government was an "important step" towards peace.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Taleban on Sunday released 20 Afghan security-force prisoners. The move came after the government last week released hundreds of insurgent captives.

"The release of prisoners is an important step in the peace process and the reduction of violence," US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter.

"Both sides should accelerate efforts to meet targets specified in the US-Taleban agreement as soon as possible," he added, noting the exchange was more important than ever with prison populations threatened by coronavirus outbreaks.

Mr Khalilzad and the Taleban signed a on deal Feb 29 that paves the way for US and other foreign forces to quit Afghanistan in return for various commitments from the insurgents.

The deal said the Afghan government would release 5,000 Taleban prisoners while the insurgents would free 1,000 Afghan security force personnel.

The exchange was supposed to have happened by March 10, allowing peace talks to begin between the Taleban and the Afghan government - but the process has been beset with problems.

Kabul has claimed the Taleban want 15 of their "top commanders" to be released, while the insurgents have accused Afghan authorities of needlessly wasting time.

A small Taleban team met the government to discuss a comprehensive prisoner swap last week, but walked out of talks after officials began releasing prisoners only gradually.

On Sunday, the Taleban told AFP that their decision to release a group of prisoners was "a goodwill step... to accelerate the prisoner exchange process".