Taliban inmates must not resume terrorism: Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan

Afghanistan once again on Saturday pressed for a mechanism to be put in place to ensure that Taliban prisoners did not revert to terrorism after their proposed release.

Addressing lawmakers, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said the Afghan government did not want to keep 5,000 militants imprisoned forever. Instead, he said, Kabul sought to release them as proposed in a recent U.S.-Taliban deal, in line with such a transparent mechanism that supported an eventual cease-fire between the insurgent group and the Afghan government.

"The people should be confident that these people [Taliban] have changed after becoming free," he said.

In line with a historic U.S.-Taliban agreement signed on Feb. 29 in Qatar, up to 5,000 imprisoned Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's custody will be released by March 10 ahead of intra-Afghan peace negotiations.

Last week, Ghani linked the release of the Taliban prisoners to the group breaking ties with neighboring Pakistan, which Afghanistan sees as the main backer of the armed insurgents.

KABUL, Afghanistan

Afghanistan once again on Saturday pressed for a mechanism to be put in place to ensure that Taliban prisoners did not revert to terrorism after their proposed release.

"The people should be confident that these people [Taliban] have changed after becoming free," he said.

Last week, Ghani linked the release of the Taliban prisoners to the group breaking ties with neighboring Pakistan, which Afghanistan sees as the main backer of the armed insurgents.