Afghan peace parley in limbo over prisoner swap

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) – The rejuvenated yet fragile Afghan peace process continues to face deadlocks as differences persist between Kabul and the Taliban over a proposed exchange of prisoners, analysts and officials told Anadolu Agency.

Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington's frontman for the Afghan peace parley, conveyed the U.S. concerns over the lack of progress on the promised prisoner swap.

“The United States would like to see prisoner releases begin as soon as possible in line with the U.S.-Taliban agreement. No prisoners have been released to date despite the commitment to do so expressed by both sides,” Khalilzad said in a series of tweets late on Wednesday.

After finalizing a landmark peace agreement with the Taliban on Feb. 29, following nearly two years of intense negotiations, the U.S. diplomat is now pushing the Afghan government and the Taliban to take practical steps toward the crucial intra-Afghan talks that were due to start on March 10.

He said the coronavirus outbreak “makes prisoner releases urgent” and reminded all sides that that there was no time to waste.

“Technical teams from both sides can work together and focus on technical steps to begin prisoner releases as soon as possible. [...] The Taliban commit that released prisoners will abide by the commitments made in the peace agreement and not return to the battlefield. A violation will undermine the peace process,” said Khalilzad.


- Conditions or delay tactics?

Days after the U.S.- Taliban deal, Kabul asserted its authority as President Ashraf Ghani announced conditions for the prisoner swap and said it would be done in phases along with the proposed intra-Afghan talks.

The conditions were, however, rejected by the Taliban.

Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, told Anadolu Agency that Kabul’s “tactics” to delay the release of prisoners would have cascading effects on other commitments of the agreement, including intra-Afghan talks.

“We saw media reports that Kabul authorities want to delay the release of prisoners that is part of our agreement. But I want to make it clear that the intra-Afghan dialogue will take place only after the prisoners are released,” he said.

In clear contrast, Javed Faisal, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Security Council, clarified that the government's position on the release of prisoners remains unchanged.

He said the level of violence from the Taliban was still too high and their actions were not contributing to the progress of the peace progress.

“The Taliban will have to stop killing Afghans and provide guarantees that those being released will not take up arms again. It is time for them to end the violence and truly commit to a dignified peace,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Since the U.S.-Taliban deal, Afghanistan's defense and interior ministries have continued to report sporadic small-scale attacks by the Taliban in different areas of the country.

On the other end, the Taliban's social media accounts are also reporting a relatively lower number of assaults and focusing more on other propaganda material.


- Imminent threats to peace deal

As per Ghani’s presidential decree, the first phase of the prisoner swap would see some 1,500 Taliban prisoners being released over a period of 15 days.

His plan was to release them in groups of 100 every day, while intra-Afghan talks would start with a cease-fire or at least a reduction in violence.

According to official sources, there are about 12,000-15,000 prisoners, including foreigners from Pakistan, Central Asia, and Gulf countries, in different prisons across Afghanistan.

The Taliban have demanded the release of 5,000 of their militants in return for the release of 1,000 captives, including Afghan government and security personnel.

For retired Gen. Atiqullah Amarkhel, who served as Afghanistan’s air chief and is now a security analyst, the impasse between Kabul and the Taliban poses an imminent threat to the Doha peace deal.

“The Taliban must recognize the Afghan government just as it has been recognized by the U.S. and the rest of the world; it the country’s legitimate government and a main party to the conflict,” he told Anadolu Agency.

“Up until this moment, they [the Taliban] were dealing solely with the Americans; now they have to sit down at the negotiation table with the Afghans.”

However, Akbar Agha, a former Taliban-era official with close ties to the insurgent group, sees more flexibility by Kabul as the only way to overcome the deadlock.

“The government must not spurn this unique opportunity for peace over the issue of prisoners,” he said.


* Islamuddin Sajid contributed to this report from Islamabad