Six Taliban Prisoners Fly To Doha, Paving The Way For Peace Talks

KABUL — Six Taliban militants previously held behind bars in Afghanistan left Kabul on a flight to Doha on September 10, paving the way for long-delayed peace talks to begin later this week, Afghan officials say.

The prisoners, whose release was objected to by France and Australia because of their links to the murders of French and Australian civilians and troops in Afghanistan, are to be kept under supervision in Qatar’s capital where the intra-Afghan negotiations are due to take place.

Both sides have indicated that talks could begin soon after they finalize a monthslong prisoner exchange. The last Taliban prisoners, except the six being sent to Qatar, were released last week.

“The six will remain in Qatar until the end of November and could be transferred back to Kabul,” a government source told Reuters.

Fawzia Koofi, a member of the Afghan government’s negotiating team, told RFE/RL that they will travel to Doha on September 11 and that the opening ceremony for negotiations was planned for the next day.

The Taliban has said it was willing to begin peace talks after the prisoner exchange is completed while blaming Kabul for delaying the negotiations.

But presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi accused the Taliban on September 10 of stalling for time.

“Reshuffling their peace negotiating team at the last minute indicates that they are still not prepared for the talks,” Sediqqi said.

The delayed intra-Afghan negotiations are part of a landmark deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February.

Under the agreement, international forces should withdraw from Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban, which pledged to negotiate a permanent cease-fire and power-sharing deal with the Afghan government.

The deal promised 5,000 Taliban prisoners would be set free by the Afghan government ahead of the negotiations, in return for 1,000 members of the security forces held by the militants.

With reporting by Reuters and Tolonews