Taliban discussed prisoner ‘exchange’ with US: Afghan govt

KABUL: Two American prisoners were being held in custody in Afghanistan, a Taliban government spokesman said on Wednesday, and an “exchange” for Afghans held in Guantanamo Bay had been discussed with the United States.

“We should be able to free our citizens in (an) exchange, as American citizens are important for them (the United States), just as Afghans are important for us,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul.

He said discussions over a prisoner exchange were held with US representatives during United Nations-led talks in Qatar.

The talks, which gathered UN officials, Taliban authorities and the special envoys to Afghanistan, ended on Monday.

“Two American citizens are imprisoned in Afghanistan,” Mujahid told the press conference, adding that Afghan prisoners were also held in the United States, including in the secretive US prison in Cuba.

“We have had discussions on their release with them (the United States) before. Afghanistan´s conditions should be accepted,” he said.