Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is set to release 1 500 Taliban prisoners in coming days to pave the way for direct talks with the insurgent group aimed at ending the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan.

The two-page decree - which was signed by Ghani and will be made public later by his office - said that all released Taliban prisoners will have to provide “a written guarantee to not return to the battlefield”.

The decree lays out details about how the prisoners will be released in a systematic manner, a process that it says will begin in four days.

“The process of releasing 1 500 Taliban prisoners will be completed within 15 days, with 100 prisoners walking out of Afghan jails every day”, - according to the decree.

Talks between the Taliban and Afghan government to end the war will run parallel with the release, the decree said.