“The United States commends the participants of the Loya Jirga to be convened on 7 August to consolidate national support for peace. We understand that they will decide on the expeditious release of the remaining Taliban prisoners from their list, the last obstacle to the start of intra-Afghan negotiations”, Pompeo said in a statement on late Thursday.
“While the decisions and conduct of both parties to intra-Afghan negotiations will affect the size and scope of future US assistance, the United States affirms its support for sustainable peace and an enduring partnership with Afghanistan”, he added.
On 31 July, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Qatar Suhail Shaheen said that the Taliban movement completed the release of 1,000 Afghan prisoners. According to Taliban, Kabul has so far freed only 4,400 detainees.
The Afghan government and the Taliban committed to releasing each other's prisoners — 5,000 and 1,000, respectively — as part of a peace deal negotiated by the group and the United States in the Qatari capital of Doha on 29 February, with the outlook to launch intra-Afghan talks.
*Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia.
