U.S. Envoy Welcomes Loya Jirga’s Declaration, Ghani’s Decision over Release of Remaining Prisoners

Hours after the decision of Loya Jirga–a large assembly of Afghan leaders–the U.S. special envoy for the Afghan peace, Zalmay Khalilzad, welcomed the Loya Jirga’s decision for approving the release of remaining 400 Taliban prisoners with high-profile crimes. He also welcomed President Ghani’s decision for signing a decree to release those inmates.

The intra-Afghan negotiations is set to begin in the Qatari capital of Doha after a prisoner release process is completed within “the next few days,” said Mr. Khalilzad on Twitter.

“The parties will embark on a process to reach an agreement on a political roadmap & a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire to end the Afghan war,” Ambassador Khalilzad added.

Yesterday on its day of meeting, the Afghan consultative Loya Jirga, or the grand assembly, in a 25-article resolution approved the release of the remaining 400 “hard-core” inmates of the Taliban.

“To remove the last sticking point [on the way to ending the longest-running war of the country], allow the start of the peace process and an end of bloodshed, the Loya Jirga approves the release of 400 Taliban,” the grand assembly (Loya Jirga) said in a resolution released today, August 09.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani convened a Loya Jirga, a large gathering of the religious and political leaders and elders, on Friday, August 07, to decide over the fate of remaining 400 Taliban prisoners who were convicted of high-profile crimes.

The insurgent group earlier announced it had freed a thousand Afghan government prisoners it was committed to do so under a peace pact signed with the United States on late February.

The Taliban said they were ready for talks with Afghan leaders after the Muslim holiday of Eid ul Adha at early August, following a completion of prisoner swap process.

Afghan president, however, said his government had released 4,600 of the insurgent group’s inmates, but has no authority to release those Taliban prisoners who were behind major crimes, and thus, a Loya Jirga will be given the choice to decide.