Afghanistan to swap Taliban militants for American, Australian captives - GulfToday

Afghanistan to swap Taliban militants for American, Australian captives

  • 12 Nov 2019
Kabul_Ashraf-Ghani_750

President Ashraf Ghani (centre) at a meeting in Kabul. File photo

Afghanistan will release two senior Taliban commanders and a leader of the Haqqani militant group in exchange for an American and an Australian professor who were kidnapped in 2016, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's office said on Tuesday.

The government has decided to free top militant commander Anas Haqqani and two other Taliban commanders in a prisoner swap, a deal that could pave the way for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

The Taliban had kidnapped the Australian and American professors in August 2016 from the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul.

Reuters

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