Afghanistan agreed to release two senior Taliban commanders and a Haqqani rebel leader in exchange for two American and Australian professors.

"In order to pave the way for direct talks with the Taliban, the government decided to release the rebel prisoners in exchange for two university professors," Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a televised speech. today.

Prisoners released by Afghanistan include Anas Haqqani of the Haqqani militia group, along with Haji Mali Khan and Hafiz Rashid, two Taliban commanders. These three were all arrested in 2014.

Anas is the younger brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who heads the Haqqani terrorist network. The rebel group is believed to have originated in Pakistan and is part of the Taliban in Afghanistan. In recent years, they have carried out large-scale attacks on civilians.

A Taliban spokesman said earlier this year that the rebel group was determined to regain freedom for Anas Haqqani and identified him as a member of the negotiating team to discuss it with the US.

Kevin King and Timothy Weeks, two American and Australian professors, were kidnapped by the Taliban in August 2016 from American University in Kabul. Ghani said the authorities could not find a place where the Taliban detained the two and it appears their health is deteriorating.

The prison exchange took place at a time when the parties were trying to "revive" the process of peace negotiations between the US and the Taliban. Afghan officials said the next round of talks between the Taliban and Afghan representatives will take place this month in Beijing, China.