Taliban frees three Pakistani soldiers in Saudi-mediated move

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar

KABUL, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban government said on Tuesday it had released three Pakistani soldiers captured during border clashes in October, in a move mediated by Saudi Arabia amid strained ties and a prolonged frontier closure between the two neighbours.

The release comes months after the worst cross-border fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Dozens were killed in October clashes, after which both sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire but failed to secure a longer-term political understanding.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement the soldiers, detained on October 12 during fighting along the border, were handed over to a Saudi delegation in Kabul.

He said the release was in line with the Taliban government's policy of maintaining "positive relations with all countries" and came ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

It was also in response to a request from "the brotherly country of Saudi Arabia", which has hosted recent talks between the two sides, the spokesman added.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Key border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been periodically shut amid the tensions, disrupting trade and movement across the 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban rulers of harbouring militants who stage attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.

(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; writing by Ariba Shahid in Karachi, editing by Andrei Khalip)