Hizb-e-Islami of Afghanistan (HIA) has acknowledged that 13 controversial prisoners, who were not released as part of the group of 55 on Tuesday, had been involved in plotting suicide bombings. 

Deputy head of the Hizb-e-Islami commission for the release of its prisoners, Abdul Hadi Zolhekmat, said at least 3,000 Hizb-e-Islami prisoners are in government’s custody at the moment.

“They are our important figures,” Zolhekmat said at a press conference on Wednesday.

In response to a question on whether the 13 prisoners had been involved in suicide attacks, Zolhekmat said: “Against foreigners; yes, we accept this.”

A reliable source told TOLOnews that among the 13 prisoners, Qazi Rahman, a resident of Parwan province; Latifullah, a resident of Khost; and Zabihullah Atal, a resident of Sorkhrod district in Nangarhar, were key planners of suicide attacks which had targeted foreign forces.

Head of Pul--Charkhi Prison, Tawab Ahmadzai, however, expressed a different view on the Hizb-e-Islami prisoners. 

“There is no one by the name of Hizb-e-Islami in our prison. There might be a number of Hizb-e-Islami inmates in the prison but they had been imprisoned on charges of other crimes,” Ahmadzai said.

“A warranty letter is taken from those who were released and if someone lodges claims against them they will appear for questioning,” said Ahmad Farzan, head of strategic relations committee of the peace deal with Hizb-e-Islami.

Meanwhile, Juma Gul, a member of Hizb-e-Islami who was imprisoned for three years on charges of “relations with the group” and was released on Tuesday, said he wants to visit his family in Helmand. 

“First I will go to Helmand and then I will wait for orders of Mr. Emir (Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar). I will do what he (Hekmatyar) says,” Juma Gul said.

This comes after sources from within Hizb-e-Islami said 48 prisoners have so far been released; while reports on Tuesday indicated that the first batch of the group’s inmates freed totaled 55.