Taliban fighterTaliban fighter
Taliban fighterTaliban fighteriStock

Afghanistan is to release three high-ranking Taliban prisoners in exchange for two hostages held by the group, President Ashraf Ghani has said.

American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks were lecturers at the American University of Afghanistan when they were kidnapped in 2016. Anas Haqqani, a leading figure in the Haqqani militant group, and two other senior commanders are part of the deal.

It is unclear how or when the exchange of prisoners will take place.

"In order to pave the way for face-to-face negotiations with the Taliban, the government has decided to free Taliban prisoners in exchange for two university professors," Mr Ghani said in a televised speech.

There was no immediate response to the announcement from the Taliban, who have long refused to negotiate with Mr Ghani's administration.

The two professors were ambushed by gunmen and taken from a vehicle while leaving their university campus in Kabul in August 2016.

The exact condition of the two men remains unclear, but in his speech Mr Ghani noted "their health has been deteriorating while in the custody of the terrorists". He said the decision to conditionally release the prisoners was "a tough, but important decision" and a "humanitarian gesture".