Kabul: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday said his government had taken major steps towards peace since the US-Taliban ceasefire, including releasing 3,000 Taliban fighters and realising a reduction in violence.
Speaking at an online event hosted by the Atlantic Council, Ghani added he had decided to release an additional 2,000 prisoners within a very short period.
He called for the full release of Afghan troops by the Taliban, stressing it was important that the mutual commitment was fulfilled.
The President also noted that around 30 people were dying in violence each day in his country, stressing the importance of bringing these numbers down to consolidate public support.
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Signed in late February, the US-Taliban deal was designed to bring peace to Afghanistan and allow American soldiers to return home, ending America's longest military engagement.
Releases of prisoners by Kabul and the Taliban would pave the way for the second, critical phase of the deal — negotiations between the two on a road map for post-war Afghanistan.
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On Wednesday, Gen. McKenzie, the commander overseeing US forces in Afghanistan, said the Taliban had not yet met conditions required for a complete US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by next May, as envisioned in the deal.
Trump has often complained about the enormous cost of the war, which began in October 2001 with a US invasion to topple the Taliban from power.
The President's impatience and speculation that he may order that all US troops leave by the November election, has caused some angst on Capitol Hill.
"This is the sovereign decision of the United States," said Ghani, noting McKenzie's assessment that conditions were not ripe for such withdrawal.
(AP)
