Release of high profile Taliban prisoners remains last hurdle in Afghan peace talks

June 18, 2020 - Kabul, Afghanistan, Asia, Middle East - European and other Western powers are backing the Afghan government’s refusal to release a few hundred controversial prisoners demanded by the Taliban as a condition to start peace talks, sources said. Doha has been set as the venue for the first round of talks and formal negotiations are set to begin soon after months of delay, but the disagreement over these final few prisoners is proving to be a stubborn final deadlock. The contentious prisoners include some involved in major attacks such as the 2017 bombing near the German Embassy in Kabul which killed 150.
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