This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
Published on July 13, 2020, the situation in Afghanistan remains dire as the country grapples with the spread of Covid-19 and its economic ramifications.
Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, has condemned the Taliban's recent attacks, describing them as 'criminal and inhumane'.
"Turning to violence and killing people for leverage in negotiations is the worst approach that, unfortunately, the Taliban have taken up," Mr. Ghani said in a statement.
The peace deal, signed in February, was expected to pave the way for talks with the Afghan government over a future power-sharing agreement.
However, the talks have been repeatedly delayed due to complications with a prisoner swap, which was a precondition for negotiations.
The prisoner swap, which was part of the American deal with the Taliban, called for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners in return for 1,000 Afghan security forces held by the insurgents.
Despite the release of over 4,000 Taliban prisoners, the last stretch is facing difficulty, as the Afghan government says it cannot release about 500 of those on the Taliban list because they are deemed dangerous and are accused of serious crimes.
"We have told them that we are ready to release alternative people," Javid Faisal, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Security Council, said.
