As the US has so far unsuccessfully pursued peace deal with Taliban, The Washington Post today reported that the "strategic" release programme has quietly served as a live diplomatic channel allowing American officials to use prisoners as bargaining chips in restive provinces where military power has reached its limits.
But the paper said, releases are an inherent gamble as freed prisoners are often notorious fighters who may return to the gun culture and attack US forces.
"Everyone agrees they are guilty of what they have done and should remain in detaintion... But the benefits outweigh the risks," US official said.
The releases have come amid broader efforts to end the decade-long war through negotiation, which is a central feature of the Obama administration's strategy for leaving Afghanistan. Those efforts, however, have yielded little to no progress in recent years.
In part, they have been stymied by the unwillingness of the United States to release five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay