During his trip to Kandahar province on Thursday, Afghan President Ghani invited the Taliban to Kandahar for peace talks while also making it clear that there will no further release of Taliban prisoners, TOLOnews reported. 

If the Taliban is willing to bring peace to Afghanistan, they can come to Kandahar to hold talks with the negotiation team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Ghani said. The insurgent group has failed to reduce the violence level in Afghanistan and the Afghan people will not allow any more release of the Taliban prisoners, Ghani added. 

The Taliban had destroyed 16 percent of the nation’s wealth last year, Ghani said, adding the release of more prisoners at this level is not acceptable. “They must stop the bloodshed so we can talk,” he said while addressing local elders in the province. 

Interestingly, it was Afghan NSA Homidullah Mohib who first proposed holding the next round of talks in Afghanistan. A day later, Ghani backed his proposal. 

Ghani’s invitation to the Taliban came a day after top US General Mark Milley met him on Wednesday in an undeclared secret trip. Ghani’s spokesperson said both sides expressed their concern over the escalation of violence in Afghanistan.