KABUL – At least ten Afghan soldiers, who were keptcaptive by the Taliban for up to six years, were released by the insurgentsas a “goodwill gesture”, a government official said on Friday.
Mohammad Yaseen Khan, the governor of southern Helmand province, said theInternational Committee of Red Cross facilitated the release of the Afghansoldiers from the Taliban captivity.
Speaking to reporters alongside the released soldiers in the provincialcapital Lashkar Gah, Khan said the Afghan government hails such positivesteps.
“Efforts are also underway to ensure safe release of many civilians fromTaliban’s custody,” he added. Islam Uddin, one of the released captives,said he spent more than two harsh years under Taliban’s captivity, addingthat he is pleased to get his liberty back.
On Friday, Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington’s top peace negotiator forAfghanistan, hailed the release of 10 Afghan soldiers by the Taliban as apositive step towards peace in the country.
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The release came days after a prisoner swap of three key Taliban commandersfor two foreign professors at the American University of Afghanistan. USPresident Donald Trump hailed the prison swap. “We join families of KevinKing & Tim Weeks in celebrating their release from Taliban captivity.
Thanks to President Ghani for his courageous support. Let’s hope thisleads to more good things on the peace front like a ceasefire that willhelp end this long war. Proud of my team”, he said in a Twitter post onThursday.
