Kabul begins release of final 400 Taliban, talks to follow

Afghanistan has released the first 80 of a final 400 Taliban prisoners, paving the way for negotiations between the warring sides in Afghanistan's protracted conflict, the government said Friday. Prisoner releases on both sides are part of an agreement that calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban held by the govt and 1,000 govt and military personnel held by the insurgent group, as a good will gesture ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations.