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Atmar says gov’t will release remaining ‘hard-core’ Taliban prisoners by the end of next week
The Afghan government says that it would release the remaining “hard-core” Taliban prisoners by the end of next week, aimed to kick start the long-waited intra-Afghan negotiations.
In an online discussion hosted by Washington D.C.-based United States Institute of Peace, Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar said, “we will have released by the end of next week over 5 600 of Taliban's prisoners.”
It is extremely important for us to work closely with Central Asia and assure them that peace in Afghanistan is going to serve their security needs as well, says Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar. #AfghanPeace https://t.co/uG5iZnCdY1
— U.S. Institute of Peace (@USIP) August 27, 2020
Atmar urged the freed prisoners not to return to the battlefields.
“The Taliban will have to honor their promise that these people will not go back to the battlefield,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, said Thursday that Intra-Afghan negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban would start next week.
The first round of talks is expected to take place in Doha, Qatar, and will likely focus on a ceasefire.
Talks were due to start early this month but stalled after President Ashraf Ghani failed to release the remaining 320 Taliban prisoners as per a decree he signed to this effect.
Already about 5,000 Taliban prisoners have been freed but the last batch is deemed hardcore and is guilty of having masterminded some of the more serious attacks in the country while others are drug kingpins.
Atmar, however, said that most of this issue has been resolved.
“It seems that most of the hurdles have been either removed or we are in the process of building consensus on a solution. I am cautiously optimistic that this will not be a further hurdle on the way,” Atmar said.
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CSTO to start Tajikistan-Afghanistan border security plan this year
Imangali Tasmagambetov, the Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has emphasized implementing the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border reinforcement plan, stating that the plan will begin this year.
Speaking at a meeting to review the CSTO’s activities in 2024 held in Moscow, Tasmagambetov added that the plan includes special measures designed to ensure the security of the southern part of the CSTO's area of responsibility.
In 2024, documents related to equipping CSTO forces with advanced military weapons and equipment were reviewed and signed, he stated.
Meanwhile, CSTO members have consistently expressed concerns about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, viewing it as a serious threat to their security.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called these concerns baseless, asserting that Afghanistan will never allow its territory to be used against any country.
Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, stated: "The concerns expressed by the CSTO regarding the borders are unfounded. Afghanistan is fully secure, and there is a commitment that Afghan soil will never be used against any country. The Islamic Emirate remains committed to its pledges."
In 202, the draft plan for strengthening the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border was approved by the Permanent Council of the CSTO and presented to its member countries.
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Pakistan: IEA must prevent US weapons from reaching terrorists
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has once again expressed concern over the potential for terrorist groups to access weapons left behind by the United States in Afghanistan.
Speaking in a news conference, Pakistan's spokesperson for the foreign ministry Shafqat Ali Khan urged the leaders of the Islamic Emirate not to allow the weapons left by the US to fall into the hands of terrorists, as this would create serious security concerns for both Pakistan and the region.
"Regarding the issue of weapons left behind in Afghanistan, it should be noted that Afghan officials are responsible for ensuring that, under no circumstances, such weapons fall into the hands of terrorist groups. This is a significant concern for the countries of the region, and we continue to call for increased attention to this matter,” said Shafqat Ali Khan.
Currently, the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan do not appear to be very positive. However, some experts believe that a unified stance must be created between the countries in the region to combat terrorism.
Earlier, the Islamic Emirate has described such concerns as baseless and repeatedly stated that all US weapons and military equipment left behind are secured by the government, with no group or individual having access to them.
Relations between Kabul and Islamabad have always been tense since IEA’s takeover, particularly regarding the issue of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan claims that this group plans and carries out attacks from Afghan soil against Pakistan.
However, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly rejected Pakistan's accusations, calling them baseless.
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ICC arrest warrant request for IEA’s supreme leader has no legal basis: Foreign Ministry
The International Criminal Court prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for Mawlawi Hebatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, has no “fair legal basis” and it is “politically motivated”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
On Thursday, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said he had applied for arrest warrants for the two IEA figures in Afghanistan, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.
The Foreign Ministry, however, said in a statement on Friday that the charges brought by the prosecutor were baseless.
"Nationwide security in Afghanistan is ensured, people breathe a sigh of relief, private prisons, kidnappings, warlords’ islands of power, many other forms of discontent and inhuman acts have been eliminated," the statement said.
"It is regrettable that this institution (ICC) has turned a blind eye to the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by foreign forces and their domestic allies during the 20 years of occupation of Afghanistan," the statement said.
"This misconduct further undermines the weak credibility of the institution and makes its position at the international level completely meaningless," the statement said. “This institution should not try to impose a particular interpretation of human rights on the entire world and ignore the religious and national values of people in other parts of the world.”
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