Afghanistan to Release 400 ‘Hard-Core’ Taliban in Bid for Peace

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, third right, wears a protective face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, attend on the last day of an Afghan Loya Jirga or traditional council, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020. AP Photo

KABUL, Afghanistan—A traditional Afghan council concluded Sunday with hundreds of delegates agreeing to free 400 Taliban members, paving the way for an early start to negotiations between Afghanistan’s warring sides.

The declaration calls for an immediate start to negotiations and a cease-fire. The move looks to bring the United States a little closer to bringing home its troops and ending its longest military engagement.