ZABIHULLAH MUJAHID

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Wednesday attack that also wounded children, the latest to strike the country in the year since the Taliban seized power.

Afghanistan Mourners carry the body of a victim of a mosque bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 18. A bombing at a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded over two dozen, an eyewitness and police said. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (Ebrahim Noroozi)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A bombing at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul during evening prayers killed at least 21 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 33, eyewitnesses and police said Thursday. Last week, the IS claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul. Khalid Zadran, the spokesman for Kabul's police chief, gave the figures to The Associated Press for the bombing at the Sunni mosque.

A Taliban police spokesman in Afghanistan’s capital says the toll from a mosque bombing has risen to 21 people killed with 33 others wounded in the attack

A Taliban police spokesman in Afghanistan’s capital says the toll from a mosque bombing the previous evening has risen to 21 people killed with 33 others wounded in the attack.

Afghanistan Mourners carry the body of a victim of a mosque bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 18. A bombing at a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded over two dozen, an eyewitness and police said. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (Ebrahim Noroozi)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A bombing at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 27, an eyewitness and police said. Last week, the IS claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul. Mujahid had turned against the Taliban over the past year, after opposing decisions made by Taliban leaders in Kabul.

Afghanistan This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo) (Uncredited)ISLAMABAD — (AP) — A bombing at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 27, an eyewitness and police said. Last week, the IS claimed responsibility for killing a prominent Taliban cleric at his religious center in Kabul. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also condemned the explosion and vowed that the “perpetrators of such crimes will soon be brought to justice and will be punished." Mujahid had turned against the Taliban over the past year, after opposing decisions made by Taliban leaders in Kabul.

An Afghan resident and police say that a bombing at a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric

An Afghan resident and police say that a bombing at a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers killed at least 10 people, including a prominent cleric, and wounded at least 27.

Economic collapse and a U-turn on girls' education are the hallmarks of Taliban rule this past year.

The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri is intensifying global scrutiny of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.

A three-day assembly of Islamic clerics and tribal elders in Kabul has concluded with pledges of support for the Taliban and calls on the international community to recognize Afghanistan's Taliban-led government.

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers on Thursday held the first major gathering of Islamic clerics and tribal elders since they seized power in August, with over 3,000 coming to the capital for the event

A rights group and Afghanistan’s Taliban say an Afghan prisoner who remained in the custody of the U.S. for nearly 15 years has finally been released from the Guantanamo Bay detention center

Villagers rushed to bury the dead and dug by hand through the rubble of homes in search of survivors after a devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan.

A Taliban official says a bombing at a mosque and religious school in northern Afghanistan has killed at least 33 people, including students of a religious school.

Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban have announced a ban on the poppy harvest, even as farmers in some parts of the country began extracting the opium from the plant that is needed for making heroin.

Officials in Pakistan are vowing to hunt down and arrest the masterminds behind a deadly mosque attack claimed by an Islamic State affiliate

Officials in Pakistan are vowing to hunt down and arrest the masterminds behind a deadly mosque attack claimed by an Islamic State affiliate.

UNHCR says the Taliban freed two foreign journalists working with the U.N. refugee agency and several of the aid organization’s Afghan staff.

The Taliban and western diplomats have began their first official talks in Europe since they took over control of Afghanistan in August.

The Taliban are promising to try to open all schools for girls across Afghanistan after the Afghan New Year, which starts in late March.

The Taliban’s spokesman says the group has arrested a popular university professor and outspoken critic of successive Afghan governments, including the new rulers in Kabul

A government spokesman's assurances came after dozens of U.S.-trained Afghan pilots were evacuated from Tajikistan in a U.S.-brokered deal, months after they sought refuge from the Taliban there.

A top Taliban official on Wednesday urged former Afghan military pilots to remain in the country, saying they were protected by a national amnesty and would not face arrest. The comments by chief government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid came amid reports that more than 140 U.S.-trained Afghan pilots and crew members left Tajikistan in a U.S.-brokered evacuation Tuesday, three months after they sought refuge there from a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Afghan air force pilots played a key role, alongside their U.S. counterparts, in the 20-year war against Taliban insurgents that ended with the departure of foreign troops in late August.

Five attackers were also killed. It was one of the most brazen ISIS attacks yet since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

An ISIS attack at a hospital in Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul has left seven people dead and 16 wounded.

President Biden, speaking at the end of the G-20 summit in Rome, said China and Russia 'didn't show up' on climate change commitments. Russia and China are sending senior officials to the two weeks of climate meetings in Glasgow, Scotland. (Nov. 1)

"We can completely guarantee security for the Afghan people," a Taliban commander told CBS News, days after a mosque bombing killed more than 50 people.

As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan spirals out of control under Taliban rule, the militant group tells CBS News "the U.S. should release our money, so we can save more children."

ANKARA, Turkey — (AP) — A high-level delegation of Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers has arrived in Turkey for talks with Turkish officials, the Foreign Ministry announced Thursday. The meetings in the capital of Ankara would be first between the Taliban and senior Turkish government officials after the group seized control of Afghanistan. The visiting delegation is led by Amir Khan Mutaqi, the acting foreign minister, according to a Taliban spokesman. The Taliban threatened to ban the airlines on Thursday unless they reduce costs, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted. The cost of a one-way PIA ticket from Kabul to Islamabad costs around $2,500, up from $300 before the Taliban seized power in August.

The Taliban have ruled out cooperation with the U.S. to contain extremist groups in Afghanistan.

The blast happened during Friday prayers in northern Afghanistan. It was not immediately clear how many had been killed and wounded and no group has yet claimed responsibility.

Afghanistan People view the damage inside of a mosque following a bombing in Kunduz, province northern Afghanistan, Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. A powerful explosion in the mosque frequented by a Muslim religious minority in northern Afghanistan on Friday has left several casualties, witnesses and the Taliban's spokesman said. (AP Photo/Abdullah Sahil) (Abdullah Sahil)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A Taliban police official says at least 100 people have been killed and wounded in a mosque explosion targeting Shiite Muslims in northern Afghanistan. The blast occurred in a Shiite mosque in Kunduz province during the weekly Friday prayer service at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque when members of the Shiite religious minority typically come in large numbers for worship. Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Shiite mosque was the target and that a “large number” of worshippers were killed and wounded.

KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A powerful explosion in a mosque frequented by a religious minority group in northern Afghanistan on Friday has left several casualties, witnesses and the Taliban's spokesman said. The blast occurred in a Shiite mosque in Kunduz province during the weekly Friday prayer service at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque when members of the Shiite religious minority typically come in large numbers for worship. Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Shiite mosque was the target and that a “large number” of worshippers were killed and wounded. He said Taliban special forces had arrived to the scene and were investigating the incident. The Taliban leadership has been grappling with a growing threat from the local Islamic State affiliate, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan.

The United States and Pakistan have held difficult talks over the path forward in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan at a time when relations between the two countries are shaky.

Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders have met with U.K. officials for the first time since taking power, a move the group hopes will pave the way for the country to refill cash-starved coffers as it teeters on the brink of economic collapse.

Afghanistan Security Photo Gallery Taliban fighters talk to a detainee before transferring him to a court in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. None of the 38 new appointments announced by chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid included women. They were comprised of members drawn entirely from the Taliban with little representation of minority groups. Among the new appointments was a political deputy for the prime minister, deputy ministers, and deputy head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society. The Taliban have described their appointments as part of an interim government but have not elaborated on whether there will be elections.

The Taliban have doubled down on their hard-line trajectory in a third round of Afghanistan government appointments that encompassed a host of men named to deputy positions.

Afghanistan Attack Taliban fighters walk at the entrance of the Eidgah Mosque after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. A bomb exploded in the entrance of the mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday leaving a "number of civilians dead," a Taliban spokesman said. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (Felipe Dana)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — Taliban forces raided an Islamic State affiliate's hideout in the Afghan capital and killed several insurgents, hours after a deadly bombing outside a mosque in Kabul, the Taliban said Monday. Taliban officials had gathered at the mosque to mourn the passing of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid's mother. In a statement Monday, Mujahid said Taliban forces raided an Islamic State operations center in the northern Kabul neighborhood of Khair Khana.

The bomb targeted the Eidgah Mosque, where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — A bomb targeted the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday leaving a “number of civilians dead,” a Taliban spokesman said. The bomb targeted the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The Taliban say at least five civilians have been killed by a bomb blast at the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

A bomb exploded in the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday leaving a “number of civilians dead,” a Taliban spokesman said. The bomb targeted the sprawling Eidgah Mosque in Kabul, where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who later tweeted the attack had claimed civilian lives. Taliban fighters were not been harmed in the attack, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told the Associated Press.

Outcry followed the Taliban's earlier announcement of an all-male lineup. A government spokesman held out the possibility of adding women to the Cabinet at a later time, but gave no specifics.

Afghanistan Taliban fighters sit on the back of a pickup truck as they stop on a hillside in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (Felipe Dana)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — The Taliban expanded their interim Cabinet by naming deputy ministers Tuesday, but failed to appoint any women, doubling down on a hard-line course despite the international outcry that followed their initial presentation of an all-male Cabinet lineup earlier this month. The international community has warned that it will judge the Taliban by their actions, and that recognition of a Taliban-led government would be linked to the treatment of women and minorities. In their previous rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the Taliban had barred girls and women from schools, work and public life. Mujahid bristled at international conditions for recognition, saying there was no reason for withholding it.

The Taliban have expanded their interim Cabinet by naming more ministers and deputies, but failed to appoint any women.

The friction between pragmatists and ideologues in the Taliban leadership has intensified since the group formed a hard-line Cabinet last week that is more in line with their harsh rule in the 1990s than their recent promises of inclusiveness.

New interim Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund led the government when the Taliban ruled from 1996-2001. All the new officials appeared to be Taliban.

The Taliban's interim government for Afghanistan is all men and stacked with veterans of their hard-line rule from the 1990s and the 20-year battle against the U.S.-led coalition.

The United States is confirming for the first time that it has helped a U.S. citizen and family members to escape Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighboring country.

The Taliban’s lightning blitz across the country took less than a week to overrun some 300,000 Afghan government troops.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement Monday, saying Panjshir was under the control of the Taliban. Experts doubted that resistance to the Taliban in Panjshir could last long-term.

The Taliban say they have seized the last province not in their control after their blitz through Afghanistan last month.

Iran’s president is calling for elections in Afghanistan to determine the future of the country, where he hopes peace will return after Western troops have left and the Taliban have seized control.

Taliban officials “expect” President Joe Biden to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Kabul despite U.S. insistence that future diplomatic relations will depend on Taliban behavior.

Afghanistan A U.S military aircraft is parked on the tarmac of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon) (Wali Sabawoon)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — Taliban leaders have symbolically walked across the runway at Kabul's international airport after the U.S. withdrawal, marking their victory. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban held full control of Kabul's international airport Tuesday after the last U.S. plane left its runway, marking the end of America's longest war and leaving behind a now-quiet airfield and Afghans outside it still hoping to flee the insurgents' rule. The airport had seen chaotic scenes since the Taliban blitzed across Afghanistan and took Kabul on Aug. 15. On their way out, the U.S. military warned pilots the airport was “uncontrolled” and “no air traffic control or airport service are available."

U.S. officials say a drone strike has blown up a vehicle carrying “multiple suicide bombers” from Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate before they could attack Kabul’s international airport.

Twin bombings strike Kabul, Afghanistan

The Taliban have condemned the explosions at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which left a number of people dead and more injured.

Donald R. Allen)KABUL, Afghanistan — (AP) — The Taliban have condemned the attack outside Kabul’s airport, saying it occurred in an area controlled by U.S. forces. The attack was believed to be carried out by Afghanistan’s Islamic State group affiliate, which is separate from and more radical than the Taliban. KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Two suicide bombers and gunmen targeted crowds massing near the Kabul airport Thursday, in the waning days of a massive airlift that has drawn thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Even as the area was hit, the official said evacuation flights continued to take off from Kabul airport, which Western governments earlier warned was a target. Senior U.S. officials said Wednesday's warning from the embassy was related to specific threats involving the Islamic State group and potential vehicle bombs.

At least 13 people are killed and 15 are injured, including Americans, in twin suicide attacks outside Kabul airport, U.S. and Russian officials say.

A Taliban spokesman claimed Wednesday that there is "no evidence" that Osama bin Laden was behind the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, despite overwhelming evidence linking the late al Qaeda leader to the planning of the incident.

The airport in Kabul is under the threat of an "imminent attack," possibly within "hours" on Thursday, according to a British defense official.

Several countries urged people to avoid the airport, where Belgium said there was a threat of a suicide bombing.

Donald R. Allen)LONDON — (AP) — Western nations warned Thursday of a possible attack on Kabul’s airport, where thousands have flocked as they try to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the waning days of a massive airlift. Already, military cargo planes leaving Kabul airport have launched flares to disrupt any potential missile fire. The warnings come as many Afghan are fleeing the country in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Outside of a missile attack, troops have been worried about the teeming crowds outside the airport. French Prime Minister Jean Castex told French radio RTL on Thursday that “from tomorrow evening onwards, we are not able to evacuate people from the Kabul airport” due to the upcoming American withdrawal.

Taliban spokesman claims they want to 'forget what happened in the past' in New York Times interview

Biden President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (Manuel Balce Ceneta)U.S. President Joe Biden is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing a frantic airlift of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others seeking to escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The decision defies allied leaders who want to give the evacuation more time, and opens Biden to criticism that he caved to Taliban deadline demands. Pentagon officials expressed confidence the airlift can get all Americans out by next Tuesday, the deadline Biden had set long before the Taliban completed their takeover. He also said the military would have to start moving troops and their equipment out of Kabul several days prior to Aug. 31 in order to be out entirely by then.

Biden President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) (Manuel Balce Ceneta)U.S. President Joe Biden is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing a frantic airlift of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others seeking to escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The decision defies allied leaders who want to give the evacuation more time, and opens Biden to criticism that he caved to Taliban deadline demands. Pentagon officials expressed confidence the airlift can get all Americans out by next Tuesday, the deadline Biden had set long before the Taliban completed their takeover. He also said the military would have to start moving troops and their equipment out of Kabul several days prior to Aug. 31 in order to be out entirely by then.

The Taliban is urging Afghans to stay in their home country as tens of thousands of them flee from their rule.

A senior U.S. official said President Joe Biden is also committed to the deadline, though European leaders had pressed for more time. The announcements set the stage for a chaotic endgame a day after the CIA director met with a top Taliban top leader in Kabul. The Taliban will take over security at the airport after the planned U.S. pullout, Mujahid said. Mujahid, meanwhile, pushed back on the idea that Afghans need to flee, arguing that the Taliban have brought peace and security to the country. Reflecting concerns about abuses, European leaders had hoped the U.S. would consider delaying its withdrawal to allow for more evacuations.

President Biden aims to stick to Afghanistan troop withdrawal deadline, despite pressure from G-7 allies to continue evacuations from Kabul. Taliban warns against extension.

Biden President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Afghanistan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, in Washington. Ahead of the meeting, British defense secretary Ben Wallace said he was doubtful that Biden would agree to extend the deadline. Biden addressed the leaders for several minutes near the start of the meeting that lasted less than an hour, according to the White House. The G-7 leaders were also joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The leaders put Afghanistan as number 57 out of 70 points in their final 25-page communique -– behind Ukraine, Belarus and Ethiopia.

Mohammad Ismail via ReutersThe British-educated son of one of Afghanistan’s most revered anti-Taliban warlords is the last holdout against the Taliban, staking his claim in the Panjshir Valley about 100 miles north of Kabul. Ahmad Massoud, along with a few hundred well-equipped fighters, pilots, and Amrullah Salehl—Afghanistan’s former vice president, who has claimed the Afghan presidency after Ashraf Ghani fled on August 15—make up the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) that Massoud

Sharply divided leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies have clashed over U.S. President Joe Biden’s insistence on withdrawing from Afghanistan by August 31 in the face of the Taliban takeover.

A firefight outside Kabul’s international airport has killed an Afghan soldier.

Taliban websites that delivered the victorious insurgents’ official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages have gone abruptly offline, indicating an effort to try to squelch them.

The Taliban face a major challenge in cementing control of Afghanistan: Money.

As the Taliban negotiates with senior politicians and government leaders following its lighting-fast takeover of Afghanistan, U.S. social media companies are reckoning with how to deal with a violent extremist group that is poised to rule a country of 40 million people.

The Taliban have vowed to respect women’s rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists.

The Taliban have shot and killed the director of Afghanistan’s government media center after ambushing him in the capital, Kabul.

The Taliban are pressing on with their surge in Afghanistan and say they have seized a strategic border crossing with Pakistan.

Officials say the Taliban’s march through northern Afghanistan has gained momentum with the capture of several districts from fleeing Afghan forces.

Afghan authorities say a bomb exploded near a girls’ school in a majority Shiite district of west Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 30 people, many of them young pupils between 11 and 15 years old.

Afghan officials say gunmen have killed a former TV presenter as he was travelling in the southern city of Kandahar.

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2020 photo, a Taliban delegation arrive to attend the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. On Jan. 31, 2021, Rasul Talib, a member of the Afghan governments peace negotiating team warned the Taliban that if they dont resume peace talks in Qatar soon, the government could recall the team before a deal is reached. Talib said in a press conference the team is waiting for the return of the Taliban leadership to Doha, Qatar, where a second round of peace talks began this month but has made little progress. (AP Photo/ Hussein Sayed, File)KABUL – A member of the Afghan government's peace negotiating team Sunday warned the Taliban that if they don't resume peace talks in Qatar soon, the government could recall the team before a deal is reached. Meanwhile, the Afghan peace negotiating team praised President Biden’s administration for its decision to review the U.S.-Taliban peace deal, saying the deal favors the Taliban.

Gunmen fired on a car in northern Kabul on Sunday, killing two women judges who worked for Afghanistan's high court and wounding the driver, a court official said. It was the latest attack in the Afghan capital during peace talks between Taliban and Afghan government officials in Qatar. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)KABUL – Gunmen fired on a car in northern Kabul on Sunday, killing two women judges who worked for Afghanistan's high court and wounding the driver, a court official said. It was the latest attack in the Afghan capital during peace talks between Taliban and Afghan government officials in Qatar. The Taliban and the Afghan government earlier this month resumed peace talks in Qatar.

Afghan Journalist Rahmatullah Nikzad poses for photograph in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 29, 2019. Nikzad , a prominent local journalist was shot dead by unknown assailants in Afghanistan's central Ghazni province on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)KABUL – A prominent local journalist was shot dead by unknown assailants in Afghanistan's central Ghazni province on Monday — the fourth to be killed in the war-ravaged nation in just two months. Nekzad, who headed the Ghazni Journalists' Union, was well known in the area. The Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee said seven media personnel have been killed this year.

Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said 45 people were also wounded in a late afternoon blast in Bamiyan city in Bamiyan province. Mohammad Reza Yusuofi, spokesman for the provincial police chief in Bamiyan, said there were two bombs that exploded in quick succession. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, said the group was not involved. The Islamic State group affiliate in Afghanistan has declared war on the country’s minority Shiite Muslims — and Bamiyan is a mostly Shiite province. The U.S. blamed the IS affiliate for an attack on a maternity hospital earlier this year that killed 24 new mothers and infant babies.

FILE - In this March 9, 2020 file photo, Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, attends Ashraf Ghani's inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. The U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan. Khalilzad has sought to stress the economic benefits of the peace deal throughout his tour. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied contacts with Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, saying the insurgents were committed to the peace deal. The peace deal called for the Afghan government to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, in exchange for the Taliban releasing 1,000 government personnel.