Totalitarianism

The Taliban on April 12 said it was set to release 20 prisoners in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, in a potential breakthrough after the insurgents walked out of talks with the government last week.    

The Afghan government announced today that it has released 100 Taliban prisoners from jail, France Press reported. This happens a day after the rebels announced that they were suspending the peace talks with Kabul about exchanging prisoners, according to them.

The Taliban said their peace deal with the United States was nearing a breaking point, accusing Washington of violations that included drone attacks on civilians, while also chastising the Afghan government for delaying the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners promised in the agreement.

Afghanistan will release some Taliban prisoners this week as part of confidence building measure crucial for the success of the peace deal signed between America and the Taliban to end nearly two decades of war, officials said on April 1.

Afghanistan's government late on March 26 announced a 21-member team to negotiate with the Taliban in a tentative sign of progress for the United States-brokered peace deal.

The peace accord signed between the United States and the Taliban is at a critical juncture, according to NATO's former civilian representative in Afghanistan. The deal foresees negotiations to be undertaken between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, the U.S. military confirmed on March 9, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal.

ISIL opened fire at a ceremony in Kabul on March 6, killing at least 32 people in the first major attack in the city since the United States reached an agreement with the Afghan Taliban on a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops.

A top Afghan political leader, Abdullah Abdullah, was present along with other key political figures and escaped unharmed.

The Taliban will not negotiate with the government in Kabul until about 5,000 of their associates are released from Afghan prisons, said a Taliban spokesman, quoted by the Associated Press. The statement was made at a time when the deadline for reducing hostilities in Afghanistan is expiring.

The United States is poised to sign a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Feb. 26 aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing U.S. troops to return home from America's longest war.