Why not? They’re not the enemy: “Last year, during my visit to Washington, in a very important briefing a day before I met U.S. President [Barack Obama], his national security adviser Tom Donilon, and senior White House officials, generals, and intelligence officials, the national security adviser met with me. He told me: ‘The Taliban are not our enemies and we don’t want to fight them.'” — Hamid Karzai, November 26, 2013
“Over 500 Taliban prisoners released from Afghan jails,” from the Pakistan Observer, December 25 (thanks to Kenneth):
Wednesday, December 25, 2013 – Kabul””The Afghan high peace council has released over 500 Afghan and Pakistani Taliban prisoners during the past one and half year.
The militants were detained in connection to suicide attacks and other insurgency activities, and were released based on president Karzai’s decrees and on the request of the Afghan high peace council.
At least 536 Taliban militants have been released on presidential decrees during the past 15 months, local television network (1TV) reported.
According to the documents obtained by 1TV, at least 224 Taliban militants including Pakistani nationals, who were arrested in connection to suicide attacks, were released on presidential decrees and on request of the Afghan high peace council.
The militants were apparently released to help accelerate the Afghan peace talks with the Taliban group, however majority of those who were released by Afghan government, have returned back to battle field to fight Afghan and coalition security forces.
A number of high level Taliban leaders including close aides of the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar were also among those who were released to assist Afghan peace talks.
However, the Taliban group in Afghanistan has continuously rejected to hold peace talks with the Afghan government and insist for complete withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan to pave the way for reconciliation process.””Online