The general assembly of Afghanistan, known as the Loya Jirga, has approved the release of 400 “hard core” Taliban prisoners as a show of good faith before upcoming peace talks in Doha. The release concludes a pledge to release 5,000 total prisoners who have been captured during the 19-year war. The prisoners were the last obstacle for the Taliban to join crucial talks mediated by the international community. The country has been in war for nearly two decades. In 2019, more than 10,000 people were injured or killed, pushing the total death toll to more than 100,000 in the past decade alone, according to the U.N.
