Herat governor Waheed Qatali says that 90% of Herat customs income is stolen by the mafia in the province, who also operate in the Kabul and Islam Qala customs.

The Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, also called MEC, in a report on June 29 found alleged interference by government officials, MPs and “warlords” in the activities of the two departments and says they have provided conditions for corruption in the two offices.

The Afghan government on Sunday revealed one of the main reasons behind the delay in the intra-Afghan negotiations, saying it is not releasing 597 prisoners of the 5,000 inmates that were to be freed as part of the confidence-building measures established in the US-Taliban agreement signed in late February.

These individuals are accused of “crimes and moral issues” and are on a list that was given to the government by the Taliban, said Ahmad Rashid Totakhil, head of the prisoners’ release affairs.