In a visible attempt to jump-start talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, Pakistan’s powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Afghanistan amid the coronavirus pandemic that is taking a mounting toll on the neighboring countries.
A new Taliban breakaway group with links to Iran has emerged that is opposed to the U.S.-Taliban peace deal aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan.
Taliban officials have denied a report that its leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, died after contracting the coronavirus.
The Taliban still maintains close ties with the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, despite signing a peace deal with the United States in which they committed to fight militant groups, a new United Nations report said.
The Afghan government and the Taliban have released more captives as part of a major prisoner swap ahead of formal peace talks aimed at ending the 18-year war.
Some 900 Taliban members were freed from Afghanistan's largest prison outside Kabul as part of a prisoner swap under a cease-fire deal. Former detainees were given new clothes outside Pul-e Charkhi prison on May 26, as well as cash and transport home.
The Afghan government's mass release of Taliban prisoners has revived a flagging peace process. But experts warn it's a gamble that could backfire.
Since early April, Afghanistan has freed some 1,100 Taliban detainees as part of a prisoner-swap deal. The exchange is a precursor to peace talks between the Taliban and an Afghan government delegation aimed at ending the two-decade-old war.
Even though calls for the Taliban to prolong a cease-fire with the Afghan government have gone unanswered so far, there have been no signs of renewed fighting and the militants say they will release more prisoners.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he has not set a target date for a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, where a fragile U.S.-Taliban peace process has gained renewed momentum in recent days.
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