BREAKING NEWS

Afghanistan prepares to swap 100 Taliban prisoners for 20 security forces

 Afghanistan began on Thursday the process of releasing from jail 100 Taliban Islamist militants in a prisoner swap for 20 of its security forces, a senior security official and a Taliban representative said.

It is the first step towards freeing 6,000 prisoners held by the Afghan government and the insurgent group, among confidence-building measures key to the success of a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban to end nearly two decades of war.