BEIJING, May 26 (DNA):China on Tuesday welcomed the release of Taliban prisoners and reduction of fighting and violence in Afghanistan and said it was conducive to promoting intra-Afghan dialogue and realizing peace and stability.

“The Afghan people’s aim for peace and cessation of violence are more than anything,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his regular briefing while commenting on release of Taliban prisoners by Afghan government.

He said the reduction in fighting and violence was also a shared aspiration of the regional countries and the international community.

Zhao Lijian said China welcomed and appreciated the release of Taliban prisoners and reduction of violence between the Afghan government and Taliban.

“It is conducive to promoting intra-Afghan dialogue and realizing peace and stability,” he added.

The spokesperson reiterated that China stood ready to work with international community to offer support and assistance to peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, Afghanistan National Security Council’s spokesperson said the Afghan government had released 100 Taliban prisoners on May 25.

He also announced that the prisoners release would continue in batches of 100 daily until 2,000 prisoners were freed hoping it would eventually lead to a lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan.

A US-Taliban deal signed in February stipulated that the Afghan government would release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners while the Taliban would free about 1,000 Afghan security force personnel.

The prisoner swap is seen as a confidence-building move ahead of long-awaited peace talks between the government and Taliban.

According to the sources, the three-day ceasefire between the Afghan government and Taliban on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr holidays will be extended for another week.