Afghan military releases 13 civilians, policeman from Taliban prison

Afghan commando forces released 13 civilians and one policeman from a Taliban prison in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the Afghan defense ministry said on Thursday.

"13 #civilians and a police officer were released from #Taliban prison as a result of commando forces` operations in Washir district of #Helmand province last night. Also, several Taliban`s vehicles were seized during the operation," the ministry wrote on its Twitter account.

The ministry added that the Afghan national army (ANA) killed seven Taliban militants who planned to blow up a car bomb among civilians in the northern province of Faryab.

"ANA prevented a car bomb attack in Qaisar district of #Faryab province yesterday. 7 #suicide attackers who were in the car loaded with explosives were killed as a result of the #ANA attack before they could reach their target. TB [the Taliban] had planned to blow up the car among civilians," the ministry said.

Afghanistan is still plagued by long-lasting violence that claims the lives of Afghan civilians and security personnel, despite the ongoing intra-Afghan peace negotiations that began in the Qatari capital of Doha on September 12.

In early December, Kabul and the Taliban took a three-week break in their talks for consultations on a negotiation framework. The sides resumed negotiations on January 6 in Qatar`s capital Doha. However, the resumption of talks has so far failed to improve the security situation in Afghanistan.