US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a video meeting on Monday night with the Taliban’s chief negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund to discuss the Afghan peace process.
Confirming the meeting on Twitter, a Taliban spokesman in Doha, Suhail Shaheen said: “Both sides talked about the inception of intra-Afghan negotiations …”
He said the release of the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners was essential in order to start intra-Afghan negotiations.
“The Secretary of State also welcomed announcement of ceasefire by the Islamic Emirate on the eve of the current Eid,” he said.
The US’s State Department has not yet responded to the Taliban’s announcement nor has a readout of Pompeo’s conversation been issued.
The release of the final 400 prisoners has however so far been a major stumbling block in starting peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Monday night’s meeting between the two came just days before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s expected Loya Jirga to discuss the fate of these prisoners.
The Loya Jirga, which is a grand council made up of a cross-sector of the population, will convene on Friday in Kabul.
A February agreement signed between the US and the Taliban in Doha called for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 government employees being held captive by the Taliban.
So far the Taliban has released about 1,000 detainees and the Afghan government has freed over 4,500 prisoners.
The remaining 400 however are classified as dangerous and concerns have been raised over them being released.
Monday night’s call is the second in four weeks between Pompeo and Akhund.
The post Pompeo, Taliban negotiator discuss Afghan peace process first appeared on Ariana News.
