The Afghan government said it would release 900 more Taliban prisoners as a token of goodwill and requested that the militant group extend a rare cease-fire, Al Jazeera reported May 26. Why It Matters: The Taliban recently announced an extremely rare cease-fire for the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which marked only the third time the group agreed to a ceasefire since the U.S. invasion in 2001. When combined with this reduction of violence, the release of such a large number of Taliban prisoners — which has been one of the main hurdles hindering intra-Afghan talks — could mark a potentially significant step forward in the peace process between Kabul and the militant group. Background: Intra-Afghan talks were supposed to begin in mid-March following the landmark U.S.