Afghan President signs decree to release 400 Taliban prisoners

Kabul [Afghanistan], August 11 : Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has signed a decree to release 400 Taliban prisoners, as part of efforts to begin intra-Afghan talks, a source at the Presidential Palace said.
Ghani on Monday evening also signed another decree to release prisoners of Afghan forces who are lodged in government jails, TOLOnews reported.
The development comes after the Loya Jirga (grand assembly) on Sunday approved the release of 400 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture.
The Loya Jirga issued a resolution with 25 articles, wherein it urged the international community to cease direct and indirect intervention in Afghanistan's affairs and to stop their support for terror groups.
The statement also said that the people and the government of Afghanistan must be assured that the released Taliban prisoners "will not return to war and their activity will be monitored."
Loya Jirga comprises thousands of Afghan elders, community leaders and politicians who had gathered in Kabul to decide whether to release the final 400 Taliban prisoners.
The release of prisoners was being considered as the last hurdle into opening peace talks between the internationally-backed Afghan government and the Taliban under a peace deal signed between the group and the US on February 29.