Taleban to 'free' Afghan POWs

By Kate Clark in Kabul
BBC

The Taleban movement in Afghanistan have said they are due to exchange 14 prisoners of war with the Afghan opposition.

A Taleban official, Mawlawi Habib Allah Ershad, revealed that both sides have been quietly exchanging prisoners for the last two months, freeing 350 men in total. He said the Taleban were prepared for a complete prisoner exchange if the opposition agreed.

Mr Ershad was speaking from near the frontline where Sunday's prisoner exchange was due to take place.

From his position on a plateau overlooking opposition bases to the north, he made arrangements by radio, speaking cordially to his counterpart across the frontline.

We're prepared to free the whole lot if the other side agrees Mawlawi Habib Allah Ershad "Any favours I can do for you?" he asked. The request came back to try and find an opposition soldier who had gone missing two years ago.

Mr Ershad, who is the chief of investigation for Taleban intelligence, said the two sides had been arranging the prisoner exchanges directly, without the involvement of the Red Cross.

He said the Taleban were currently holding 4,500 men, a mix of prisoners of war and what he called political detainees.

Over a week ago they released a tenth of their captives to mark the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"We're prepared to free the whole lot," Mr Ershad said, "if the other side agrees." Ransoms are sometimes paid to secure fighters' release In return, the Taleban wants the release of all their prisoners who number almost 600. There are other routes to freedom in Afghanistan. Relatives of men who are captured during fighting, both soldiers and civilians, can usually secure their release if they are able to pay the large sums of money demanded as ransom.

Entire extended families can be impoverished in the process.

For their part, Mr Ershad said the Taleban have also paid ransoms to secure the release of over 30 of their fighters.

He said the Taleban authorities allocated about 20 cents a day for feeding each prisoner, enough to buy about two Afghan loaves of bread.

But he said that families were allowed to bring extra food to their men in jail