Featured Afghanistan Peace Process

[Haris Ali2140]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1250850346978750471

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Press Release by European Union Heads of Missions and the Ambassador of Norway on the urgency to reach a political agreement in Afghanistan

Brussels, 16/04/2020 - 10:23, UNIQUE ID: 200416_12
Press releases



The EU Delegation in agreement with EU Heads of Missions based in Kabul and the Ambassador of Norway calls on all parties to the current political negotiations to reach an agreement with the highest sense of urgency.

There is a need to start the peace process as soon as possible. The wellbeing of the Afghan people and the broader interest of the Nation must come first while Afghanistan is facing continued insecurity and dramatic new health risks.

Each day that passes without a consolidated governmental team exposes the Afghan population to greater dangers, undermines the credibility of the democratic institutions and discourages European partners.

Time for unity is now!

https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/...-ambassador-norway-urgency-reach-political_en

 

[Haris Ali2140]

NATO Committed to ANDSF Despite Planned Troop Decrease
By Zahra Rahimi YESTERDAY - 8:15 PM - Edited: YESTERDAY - 9:09 PM

Following this week's defense ministers' videoconference session in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that NATO and NATO allies have "expressed support" for the agreement between the US and Taliban, and in order to "support the peace efforts," NATO will adjust troop levels in Afghanistan from "roughly 16,000 down to 12,000." However, he reiterated that this decision was "conditions-based."

NATO will continue to provide training, assistance and also financial support, Stoltenberg said, claiming that despite the planned troop reduction, NATO "will be able to continue the mission operations very much as we have done for many...for several years now."

Speaking about the target troop level of 12,000, Stoltenberg said: "We were actually almost at that level until mid-2017. Then we had an increase to 16,000. Now we are back again almost at the same level we had before the increase in 2017."

Speaking about the peace process, Stoltenberg said:

"We actually believe that the best way we can support the peace efforts is to continue to support the Afghan security forces" . . . and by doing that, sending a message to Taliban that they will not win on the battlefield, they have to sit down and make real compromises on the negotiating table."

Stoltenberg reiterated his call to the Talban to work toward peace, saying: "We call on the Taliban to respect the peace . . . or the agreement with the US to reduce violence and to sit down and engage in intra-Afghan negotiations."

The secretary general also spoke about the ongoing political crisis between President Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, and called for unity.

"It is also important that the political challenges we see on the government side and in Afghanistan, that they are addressed and we need unity. We need a functioning political process in Afghanistan, not least to be able to fully engage in the peace process."

The secretary general also pledged that NATO will assist Afghanistan in fighting the COVID-19 virus.

“We are not only protecting our own personnel, but we are also providing support to the Afghan security forces – medical equipment but also training, advice and how to cope with the COVID-19 crisis,” said Stoltenberg.

On Thursday, NATO's Resolute Support mission delivered medical materials to the 215th Maiwand Corps, including more than 13,000 disposable masks, 13,000 units of sanitizers, disinfectants and soaps, 1,000 sets of personal protective equipment for medical providers and patients, disposable gloves and protective eyewear, an RS statement read.

The shipment, which according to RS will be supplied to ANA brigades in Helmand and Nimroz, also included infrared thermometers—a non-contact method to measure temperatures and screen personnel who may have a fever, a main symptom of COVID19.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/nato-committed-andsf-despite-planned-troop-decrease

 

[Haris Ali2140]

To Save Afghan Peace Deal, U.S. May Scale Back C.I.A. Presence
Including the C.I.A.’s presence in negotiations with the Taliban is Washington’s latest effort to use what bargaining chips it has left to advance the peace plan.

American soldiers in Khost, Afghanistan, in 2011. C.I.A. officials have long
operated out of Khost Province Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times


By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Julian E. Barnes
April 17, 2020, 11:54 a.m. ET



WASHINGTON — The United States is considering pulling back front-line C.I.A. personnel from bases in Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials, as part of the American government’s effort to further reduce violence in the country in the wake of its landmark peace agreement with the Taliban.

The deliberations over the C.I.A. presence in the country are part of larger discussions about pulling back international forces to push forward the peace plan, which shows signs of floundering amid continuing violence.

Top Taliban leaders have demanded reductions in the C.I.A. presence in the country alongside U.S. troops, something that until now American negotiators have resisted. There are thought to be several hundred C.I.A. officers and contractors in Afghanistan, a number that fluctuates often, and it is perceived as one of the agency’s largest presences outside of the Washington area.

Yet one plan, lobbied by Trump administration officials in September, actually included increasing the C.I.A. presence in the country as American forces pulled out.




C.I.A. personnel operate in various places around the country, advising militia groups. The operations began as part of an effort to hunt Al Qaeda, in the earlier years of the now 18-year war, before shifting to targeting organizations including the Haqqani Taliban, among the most violent groups in Afghanistan and a significant source of income for the Taliban.

One move being discussed would relocate agency personnel to the embassy in Kabul, enabling some level of American advice to militia groups operating under the oversight of Afghanistan’s intelligence service. Officials cautioned that deliberations continued and various plans were under consideration.


Pulling C.I.A. advisers away from the front lines is a key demand of Taliban and Haqqani leaders, American officials have known. But any withdrawal of the agency will be done alongside the broader withdrawal of American military advisers — not in isolation from the broader peace plan, according to current and former American officials.


Including the C.I.A.’s presence in negotiations with the Taliban is Washington’s latest effort to use what bargaining chips it has left with the insurgent group. American forces already are drawing down to 8,600 troops from roughly 12,000 with an aspirational timeline of leaving the country altogether in just over a year.

American negotiators believe that to save the peace plan they need to find some way to stop the Taliban from brutalizing Afghan forces. Getting the Taliban to ratchet back attacks on Afghan troops and police, American officials said, is the best hope to accelerate the peace process between the Afghan government in Kabul and Taliban leadership. But even preliminary talks, regarding the release of prisoners on both sides, have run into complications.


But, at its core, the Taliban’s move to curtail the agency’s operations is centered around its income stream, specifically the Haqqani’s network of illicit and legal operations that make up a significant chuck of the insurgent group’s coffers, the officials said. The Haqqani Taliban is known to run mob-like extortion rings as well as smuggling drugs, people and weapons over the Afghan-Pakistan border.

The notion of “reduced violence” in Afghanistan has been a moving target for American officials for weeks, as the Taliban claim to be upholding the signed agreement while killing Afghan forces in the country’s hinterlands at a level that military officials see as unacceptable.

On Wednesday, at least 13 Afghan soldiers were killed in Logar Province when Taliban fighters attacked their checkpoint, and more than 30 pro-government forces have been killed in the last week, according to data compiled by The New York Times.

The Taliban have accused the Americans of violating the deal when U.S. air support is called to help beleaguered Afghan units or Afghan units attack Taliban forces. The insurgent group has also refused to consider a cease-fire without the release of 5,000 prisoners held by the Afghan government.

American officials have plainly rejected the Taliban assertions, saying that the United States has upheld its end of the agreement.

The initial reduction in violence, a seven-day period at the end of February agreed upon by both the United States and the Taliban as a precursor to the agreement, was expected to continue following the signing on Feb. 29 in Doha, Qatar. But shortly afterward, the Taliban stepped up attacks throughout the country almost simultaneously as the government in Kabul dealt with the initial novel coronavirus cases that had flooded over the western border with Iran.

One of the best known agency-advised militia groups is the Khost Protection Force, operating in eastern Afghanistan. As the main Afghan unit commanded by the Afghan National Directorate of Security — the country’s C.I.A. equivalent — and supported by agency personnel and American military advisers, the Khost Protection Force has been championed by many U.S. officials as one of the most effective military forces in Afghanistan.

The group’s ties to the C.I.A. have been critical to allow that military support to flow during operations against the Haqqanis and other targets.But it is also among the most criticized parts of the American war effort. The Khost Protection Force has been accused by human rights groups and local Afghans of operating in a brutal, lawless matter. Some Afghans have said that it and other militia networks backed by the Afghan government’s intelligence service are responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent deaths.

While there are ways for advising efforts to continue remotely, former officials said that when it came to overseeing the militias — and preventing them from causing civilian casualties or acting brazenly — proximity was vital.

Any decision to deprive the protection force of its agency advisers will most likely have far-reaching implications for its units scattered across the country. The Khost group’s primary strike force, however, could be based out of Kabul and still be somewhat effective working more directly with C.I.A. officers, said American officials.

Still, the withdrawal of Americans from front-line positions and pulling them back to Kabul, whether they are military or intelligence advisers, will have other effects, said former officials. Without American eyes and ears around Afghanistan, it will be harder to ensure that the fragile alliances between the country’s diaspora of tribes and local power holders and the American-backed government in Kabul remain.

“What is important to the United States government is that the Taliban and the Afghan government work to prevent a terrorist group from establishing itself again in Afghanistan, creating a state within a state, and eventually conducting another international terrorist attack,” said Lisa Maddox, a former C.I.A. officer.

Ms. Maddox is featured in a new documentary, “The Longest War,” and argues that there is no alternative to the peace deal.




“It is an endless war,” she said. “We are not winning it. Nobody is really winning it. We are going to have to make concessions and it is a difficult balance to strike. I don’t envy our negotiators.”

Pulling back C.I.A. and other American advisers from the front lines could have other implications for ongoing operations.

In late January, Mark R. Frerichs, a former Navy diver and a civil engineer was who working as a government contractor, was captured and taken hostage in Khost Province, triggering a countrywide hunt. While White House officials did not want his capture to derail the peace deal, since the agreement was signed, officials have said securing Mr. Frerichs’ release is a top priority.

Some intelligence officials believe the Haqqanis have probably moved him across the border to Pakistan, and say that the closer advisers are to the border area, the more likely they are to get information.

Farooq Jan Mangal contributed reporting from Khost, Afghanistan, and Fahim Abed from Kabul.



Thomas Gibbons-Neff is a reporter in the Washington bureau and a former Marine infantryman. @tmgneff



Julian E. Barnes is a national security reporter based in Washington, covering the intelligence agencies. Before joining The Times in 2018, he wrote about security matters for The Wall Street Journal. @julianbarnes • Facebook

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/...ce-treaty.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimesatwar

 

[CrazyZ]

To Save Afghan Peace Deal, U.S. May Scale Back C.I.A. Presence
Including the C.I.A.’s presence in negotiations with the Taliban is Washington’s latest effort to use what bargaining chips it has left to advance the peace plan.

American soldiers in Khost, Afghanistan, in 2011. C.I.A. officials have long
operated out of Khost Province Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times


By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Julian E. Barnes
April 17, 2020, 11:54 a.m. ET



WASHINGTON — The United States is considering pulling back front-line C.I.A. personnel from bases in Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials, as part of the American government’s effort to further reduce violence in the country in the wake of its landmark peace agreement with the Taliban.

The deliberations over the C.I.A. presence in the country are part of larger discussions about pulling back international forces to push forward the peace plan, which shows signs of floundering amid continuing violence.

Top Taliban leaders have demanded reductions in the C.I.A. presence in the country alongside U.S. troops, something that until now American negotiators have resisted. There are thought to be several hundred C.I.A. officers and contractors in Afghanistan, a number that fluctuates often, and it is perceived as one of the agency’s largest presences outside of the Washington area.

Yet one plan, lobbied by Trump administration officials in September, actually included increasing the C.I.A. presence in the country as American forces pulled out.




C.I.A. personnel operate in various places around the country, advising militia groups. The operations began as part of an effort to hunt Al Qaeda, in the earlier years of the now 18-year war, before shifting to targeting organizations including the Haqqani Taliban, among the most violent groups in Afghanistan and a significant source of income for the Taliban.

One move being discussed would relocate agency personnel to the embassy in Kabul, enabling some level of American advice to militia groups operating under the oversight of Afghanistan’s intelligence service. Officials cautioned that deliberations continued and various plans were under consideration.


Pulling C.I.A. advisers away from the front lines is a key demand of Taliban and Haqqani leaders, American officials have known. But any withdrawal of the agency will be done alongside the broader withdrawal of American military advisers — not in isolation from the broader peace plan, according to current and former American officials.


Including the C.I.A.’s presence in negotiations with the Taliban is Washington’s latest effort to use what bargaining chips it has left with the insurgent group. American forces already are drawing down to 8,600 troops from roughly 12,000 with an aspirational timeline of leaving the country altogether in just over a year.

American negotiators believe that to save the peace plan they need to find some way to stop the Taliban from brutalizing Afghan forces. Getting the Taliban to ratchet back attacks on Afghan troops and police, American officials said, is the best hope to accelerate the peace process between the Afghan government in Kabul and Taliban leadership. But even preliminary talks, regarding the release of prisoners on both sides, have run into complications.


But, at its core, the Taliban’s move to curtail the agency’s operations is centered around its income stream, specifically the Haqqani’s network of illicit and legal operations that make up a significant chuck of the insurgent group’s coffers, the officials said. The Haqqani Taliban is known to run mob-like extortion rings as well as smuggling drugs, people and weapons over the Afghan-Pakistan border.

The notion of “reduced violence” in Afghanistan has been a moving target for American officials for weeks, as the Taliban claim to be upholding the signed agreement while killing Afghan forces in the country’s hinterlands at a level that military officials see as unacceptable.

On Wednesday, at least 13 Afghan soldiers were killed in Logar Province when Taliban fighters attacked their checkpoint, and more than 30 pro-government forces have been killed in the last week, according to data compiled by The New York Times.

The Taliban have accused the Americans of violating the deal when U.S. air support is called to help beleaguered Afghan units or Afghan units attack Taliban forces. The insurgent group has also refused to consider a cease-fire without the release of 5,000 prisoners held by the Afghan government.

American officials have plainly rejected the Taliban assertions, saying that the United States has upheld its end of the agreement.

The initial reduction in violence, a seven-day period at the end of February agreed upon by both the United States and the Taliban as a precursor to the agreement, was expected to continue following the signing on Feb. 29 in Doha, Qatar. But shortly afterward, the Taliban stepped up attacks throughout the country almost simultaneously as the government in Kabul dealt with the initial novel coronavirus cases that had flooded over the western border with Iran.

One of the best known agency-advised militia groups is the Khost Protection Force, operating in eastern Afghanistan. As the main Afghan unit commanded by the Afghan National Directorate of Security — the country’s C.I.A. equivalent — and supported by agency personnel and American military advisers, the Khost Protection Force has been championed by many U.S. officials as one of the most effective military forces in Afghanistan.

The group’s ties to the C.I.A. have been critical to allow that military support to flow during operations against the Haqqanis and other targets.But it is also among the most criticized parts of the American war effort. The Khost Protection Force has been accused by human rights groups and local Afghans of operating in a brutal, lawless matter. Some Afghans have said that it and other militia networks backed by the Afghan government’s intelligence service are responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent deaths.

While there are ways for advising efforts to continue remotely, former officials said that when it came to overseeing the militias — and preventing them from causing civilian casualties or acting brazenly — proximity was vital.

Any decision to deprive the protection force of its agency advisers will most likely have far-reaching implications for its units scattered across the country. The Khost group’s primary strike force, however, could be based out of Kabul and still be somewhat effective working more directly with C.I.A. officers, said American officials.

Still, the withdrawal of Americans from front-line positions and pulling them back to Kabul, whether they are military or intelligence advisers, will have other effects, said former officials. Without American eyes and ears around Afghanistan, it will be harder to ensure that the fragile alliances between the country’s diaspora of tribes and local power holders and the American-backed government in Kabul remain.

“What is important to the United States government is that the Taliban and the Afghan government work to prevent a terrorist group from establishing itself again in Afghanistan, creating a state within a state, and eventually conducting another international terrorist attack,” said Lisa Maddox, a former C.I.A. officer.

Ms. Maddox is featured in a new documentary, “The Longest War,” and argues that there is no alternative to the peace deal.




“It is an endless war,” she said. “We are not winning it. Nobody is really winning it. We are going to have to make concessions and it is a difficult balance to strike. I don’t envy our negotiators.”

Pulling back C.I.A. and other American advisers from the front lines could have other implications for ongoing operations.

In late January, Mark R. Frerichs, a former Navy diver and a civil engineer was who working as a government contractor, was captured and taken hostage in Khost Province, triggering a countrywide hunt. While White House officials did not want his capture to derail the peace deal, since the agreement was signed, officials have said securing Mr. Frerichs’ release is a top priority.

Some intelligence officials believe the Haqqanis have probably moved him across the border to Pakistan, and say that the closer advisers are to the border area, the more likely they are to get information.

Farooq Jan Mangal contributed reporting from Khost, Afghanistan, and Fahim Abed from Kabul.



Thomas Gibbons-Neff is a reporter in the Washington bureau and a former Marine infantryman. @tmgneff



Julian E. Barnes is a national security reporter based in Washington, covering the intelligence agencies. Before joining The Times in 2018, he wrote about security matters for The Wall Street Journal. @julianbarnes • Facebook

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/...ce-treaty.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimesatwar

Offering this "concession" to Taliban in the name of peace is easy to do if you want to withdraw your forces anyway. The USA is scaling back even the token force it wanted to leave behind in Afghanistan. Debt and deficits of the USA government will be crazy levels after this crisis.

 

[Haris Ali2140]

China, Pakistan, US, Russia participate in virtual discussion on Afghanistan convened by UN

The discussions on Thursday focused on a "comprehensive peace process in Afghanistan through intra-Afghan negotiations and on the importance of regional cooperation in support to Afghanistan", Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said.

UNITED NATIONS: China, Pakistan, Russia and the US were among the nine nations that participated in a virtual discussion convened by the UN Secretariat on regional efforts to support peace in Afghanistan.

The discussions on Thursday focused on a "comprehensive peace process in Afghanistan through intra-Afghan negotiations and on the importance of regional cooperation in support to Afghanistan", Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said.

"The UN Secretariat convened a discussion with Member States on regional efforts to support peace in Afghanistan. Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the United States and Uzbekistan all participated in this meeting, which was held virtually," Dujarric said at his daily press briefing on Thursday.

He said the format brought together Afghanistan, its six neighbouring countries, Russia and the US "in recognition of the importance of the region to Afghanistan's stability and sustainable development".

Dujarric said participants at the meeting expressed solidarity with Afghanistan in its quest for peace, security and prosperity and echoed Secretary General Antonio Guterres's call for a comprehensive ceasefire, especially in the wake of the urgent need to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

"The United Nations stands ready to deliver life saving assistance to people in need and is committed to the peaceful development of Afghanistan," he said.

Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban hit a roadblock earlier this month after the warring parties failed to finalise the terms of a prisoner swap, agreed to by the militants with the US in February.

The US-Taliban deal did not involve the Afghanistan government.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has refused to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners under the terms of the peace deal, saying that his government had made no such agreement. Instead, he offered conditional release of 1,500 prisoners.

Taliban leaders met with US negotiators in Doha last week and agreed to free 20 Afghan administration officials.

Though, the Afghan government released a total of 200 Taliban prisoners earlier this month, the militant group walked away from the exchange process, saying its demand on who was to be released first was not met.

The peace deal aims at ending 18 years of war in Afghanistan.

Under the agreement, 5,000 US troops would leave the country by May. The US and NATO troops will withdraw from the country within 14 months, as long as the Taliban uphold their side of the deal.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 North American and European countries.

The US also agreed to lift sanctions against the Taliban and work with the UN to lift its separate sanctions against the group.

In return, the Taliban said they would not allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in the areas they control.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...istan-convened-by-un/articleshow/75199961.cms

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Russia urges key international players to coordinate efforts to resolve Afghan political crisis

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

Moscow on Friday called on key international players to coordinate their efforts to resolve the political impasse in Afghanistan.

"Russia urges key international players to coordinate their efforts to help find a way out of the current impasse and develop political solutions to ensure the interests of the Afghan people, establish true peace on Afghan soil and stability in the region," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press conference.

She suggested that intra-Afghan peace talks are unlikely to begin until the crisis of power in Kabul is resolved.

"The crisis emerged following the failure of last year’s presidential election in Afghanistan. Besides, the current Afghan authorities openly seek to hinder a prisoner exchange with the Taliban, which is a key condition for the launch of intra-Afghan dialogue," she said as quoted by TASS news agency.

She criticized the US for recognizing one of the candidates in the Afghan presidential election as the winner.

"The US played a part in the current aggravation of the political standoff in Kabul by de facto recognising one of the presidential election candidates as the winner," she said as quoted in Russia foreign ministry's Twitter account.

According to the diplomat, it ran counter to the agreements brokered by Russia, the US, China and Pakistan, which were aimed at boosting the creation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/41846

 

[Haris Ali2140]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1251569854911561729

https://twitter.com/x/status/1251569858694823936

 

[CrazyZ]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1251569854911561729

https://twitter.com/x/status/1251569858694823936

This is Kabul's internal matter and should be resolved by the Kabuli.

 

[Haris Ali2140]

This is Kabul's internal matter and should be resolved by the Kabuli.

Wellll who is running Kabul???

 

[CrazyZ]

Wellll who is running Kabul???

On paper, that is Ghani. Left alone the situation only has one possible outcome....That's a military confrontation between the Bonn framework government and the Northern Alliance. That's why Iran, India, Russia, NATO are all panicked and trying to get a resolution.

 

[Haris Ali2140]

US 'Violates' Deal, Claims Taliban, Sharing List of Attacks

The Taliban political office in Doha claims 33 drone attacks and airstrikes were carried out against Taliban targets in 19 provinces.

The Taliban has shared a list of 50 attacks conducted by the US and Afghan forces following the US-Taliban peace deal in late February, accusing the US of violating terms of the deal and thus adding another layer of complication to the already hindered peace process.

Sharing a three-page document exclusively with TOLOnews, the Taliban political office in Doha claims 33 drone attacks and airstrikes were carried out against Taliban targets in 19 provinces from March 9 to April 10.

Additionally, the list includes nine attacks involving rockets and mortar shelling, and eight night-raids.

The Taliban says in the document they have lost 35 of their fighters in 17 of the incidents, and they blame foreign forces for killing 65 civilians in 33 incidents.

According to the Taliban paper, 12 attacks have occurred in Zabul, five in Maidan Wardak, four in Kunduz, four in Kandahar, three in Helmand, three in Kapisa, three in Laghman, three in Badakhshan, two in Uruzgan and two in Farah.

The provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Ghazni, Logar, Badghis, Jawzjan, Baghlan, Takhar and Nangarhar have witnessed one attack each, according to the document.

It’s the first time that the Taliban have provided numbers to back their claims that the US has violated the agreement.

The US-Taliban deal is facing multiple challenges including a delayed and contentious prisoner release, as well as a delay in the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, which was scheduled in the agreement to start on March 10.

Reacting to the Taliban claims, the top US general in Afghanistan, Gen Scott Miller, has told TOLOnews in a statement that “All sides, but especially the Taliban, must reduce violence to allow the political process to take hold.”

His spokesman Col Sonny Leggett elaborates that the United States “remains committed” to the deal with the Taliban, adding that the “U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, in accordance with the written terms of the agreement, continue to support and defend the Afghan Security Forces.”

Last week, TOLOnews reported that the Taliban carried out 2,162 attacks following the one-week reduction in violence (RIV) that started on February 22 and led to the signing of a peace agreement between the US and the Taliban.

The Afghan and NATO forces have conducted 425 attacks against the Taliban post RIV period.

“We are 'active defensive' for the past few weeks to give the peace process a chance,” Afghan Defense Minister Assadullah Khalid tells TOLOnews. “We are still hoping that we move to a full ceasefire as soon as possible, but the Afghan forces are fully prepared to defend themselves and the people.”

The Taliban have also questioned some of the 361 released prisoners, calling them "unidentified." The Afghan government, according to sources, also says that from the 60 released prisoners by the Taliban, there are only 17 members of the Afghan forces.

Based on the agreement, the two sides should not attack each other's bases and military facilities in Afghanistan, and the Taliban should not allow other militant groups to operate in areas under their influence.

Gen Miller traveled to Doha last week to discuss the reduction in violence with the Taliban, and the Taliban have shared their concerns about these attacks with him.

There are disagreements between the US the Taliban on the nature of the attacks and the reasons why these attacks have happened. According to sources, the US and the Taliban are discussing every single incident through their military channel to examine the reason behind each incident.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/us-violates-deal-claims-taliban-sharing-list-attacks

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Nearly half of prisoners released by Taliban taken after US deal: Afghan government

Twenty-eight of prisoners released recently by the Taliban had been taken after the group signed a peace deal with the United States in late February, the Afghan government said on Saturday.

Under the deal with US, the Taliban committed to release 1,000 Afghan government prisoners in return for 5,000 of their prisoners.

The government has released 361 prisoners while the Taliban has freed 60.

Javid Faisal, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Security Council, said that 10 out of 20 prisoners released by the Taliban in Kandahar were civilians, including four minors that it kept in detention for years.

He also said that only nine of the 40 people released in Laghman were security forces.

According to Faisal, 12 members of Afghan Local Police who deserted to the group less than a month ago were also among those released. He said that they will be charged under the law.

"Taliban must uphold their end on prisoners by releasing ANDSF personnel from the list that the government has given them," Faisal said.

"They must also stop capturing and torturing civilians and minors. They must release all civilians in their custody immediately and commit to a ceasefire."


http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/41853

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Afghan Govt Says Taliban 'Released Civilians Along with ANDSF'

By TOLOnews.com 18 APRIL 2020

Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Office of National Security Council (ONSC) on Saturday said that ten of the 20 people the Taliban released in Kandahar province under the name of ANDSF personnel "are civilians," including "four minors" that they kept in detention for years.

“Only nine of the 40 people they released in Laghman are ANDSF. Several were tortured,” Faisal said.

“Twenty-eight of those released recently were taken by the Taliban after the group signed the Doha deal and committed to releasing 1,000 ANDSF personnel. Taliban also released 12 ALP who deserted to the group less than a month ago. They will be charged under law,” said Faisal.

Faisal said that the Taliban must act upon their promises regarding the release of the prisoners and stop the "torture" of their captives in their custody.

The US-Taliban agreement signed on February 29th in Doha, Qatar mentioned a prisoner release by both sides to pave the way for the intra-Afgan talks.

“Taliban must uphold their end on prisoners by releasing ANDSF personnel from the list that the government has given them. They must also stop capturing and torturing civilians and minors. They must release all civilians in their custody immediately and commit to a ceasefire,” tweeted Faisal.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/afghan-govt-says-taliban-released-civilians-along-andsf

 

[Haris Ali2140]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1252838629971386369