KABUL – Top Taliban Commanders habe been released by US Military inexchange for Indian engineers in Afghanistan.

The United States on Sunday released 11 Afghan Taliban leaders inAfghanistan under a swap deal as part of a major confidence buildingmeasure to revive the peace process, at least two Taliban leaders said.

The freed Taliban include governors in Taliban rule for Kunar and Nimrozprovinces Sheikh Abdul Rahim and Maulvi Rashid respectively and Aziz urRahman, also known as Ehsanullah, the nephew of the Taliban deputy chiefSirajuddin Haqqani.

Taliban were freed from the Bagram prison under the US control and handedover to the Taliban leaders in the northern Baghlan province in theircontrolled areas.

He said the Taliban leaders were released in exchange for three Indianengineers, who were among a group of seven engineers kidnapped from Baghlanin May 2018.

Taliban never officially claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of theIndian engineers. However, Taliban sources say the Indian engineers wereheld hostage by the Taliban.

The US, Taliban and the Afghan government did not offer any comments on theswap deal. However, dozens of Taliban social media handlers postedphotographs and videos of the freed Taliban.