report in ToloNews, Sept 16, 2018 at 1:44 PM
Anas Haqqani, the youngest son of the feared Haqqani terror network’s founder is among hundreds of prisoners whom the Taliban is demanding be released as part of an upcoming round of talks with the United States, four Taliban officials told NBC News.
“This meeting with the US authorities would either help pave the way for more meaningful talks or stop them forever,” a Taliban commander in Helmand province said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media. “If they are sincere in talks in the future, they would accept our proposal for a prisoners’ exchange.”
The four Taliban officials, speaking from Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, said that the next round of discussions will be held very soon and deal with a possible prisoner exchange, NBC said.
But despite the Taliban’s tough talk, it is unlikely the US-backed Afghan government will agree to releasing such a senior figure in the insurgency without major concessions from the other side, experts said.
In Washington, the State Department said no talks were scheduled and declined to comment on whether a potential prisoner swap was on the table, NBC reported. On Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters, “We’re ready to work with the people of Afghanistan, the government of Afghanistan, and to talk to the Taliban all together to bring an end to the conflict.”
In recent months, the US has stepped up attempts to broker peace talks between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban, the militant group ousted after sheltering Osama bin Laden as he plotted the 9/11 attacks. Since the 2001 US-led invasion, more than 2,400 American personnel and tens of thousands of Afghans have died.
President Donald Trump’s impatience with the 17-year-old war has prompted US diplomats and commanders to gamble on a bid to kick-start peace negotiations, including holding direct talks with the Taliban, current and former US officials have told NBC News.
A former US official with extensive experience in Afghanistan said that the administration sees a potential window of opportunity to advance peace talks, but the effort was still at an early stage.
“There are serious indications that there are internal discussions inside the Taliban,” he said of their response to the offer for reconciliation, despite the group’s position that the Afghan government is illegitimate. The former official spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.
NBC reported Anas Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani who founded the militant group under his name in the 1970s, tops the list of those the Taliban is saying must be released, according to the Taliban officials.
Anas Haqqani has been in Afghan custody since October 2014 when US security forces nabbed him while en route to Qatar from Bahrain. https://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban-seeks-prisoner-swap-part-peace-talks-report
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