<span style="color: #222222;">Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani has announced the release of 175 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Taliban has so far refused to engage in direct peace talks with the government. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The militants are negotiating directly with a US envoy in Qatar, as Washington seeks to wind up the longest war in its history, which began in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The goodwill gesture is the result of the three-day huge peace meeting held in Kabul demanding immediate and permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan. </span><br />''