Taliban releases 17 Afghan soldiers

SANAA, May 12 (YPA) – Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced the release of 17 Afghan army and police officers who were being held captive.

In Badghis province, 17 members of the army and police officers were released,” Zabihullah wrote on Twitter on Sunday,

The Afghan National Security Council had earlier said that the country’s authorities had released 1,000 Taliban.

The Taliban are demanding the Afghan authorities to release 5,000 prisoners on the basis of the agreement reached with the United States, and the Afghan government has agreed to gradually release 1,500 prisoners.

At the end of February, the United States and the Taliban movement signed the first peace agreement in more than 18 years of war.  The agreement provides for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan within 14 months and the start of dialogue among Afghans in March after a prisoner exchange agreement.

E.M