The Taliban has long demanded the release of 5000 of its fighters held by the Afghan Government. But officials in Kabul see the prisoners as a key piece of leverage to be used during their talks with the militants.
"Freeing Taliban prisoners is not [under] the authority of America, but the authority of the Afghan Government," Ghani told reporters in Kabul today. "There has been no commitment for the release of 5000 prisoners."
He said the prisoner swap could be discussed during talks with the Taliban but could not be a precondition.
The text of the US-Taliban deal released by the State Department says the exchange of 5000 Taliban prisoners for 1000 people held by the Taliban would occur "by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations."
The agreement has been a critical foreign policy goal for US President Donald Trump, who campaigned on ending the war. But it came under renewed criticism from his fellow Republicans back home.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, said the deal included concessions "that could threaten the security of the United States."
"Releasing thousands of Taliban fighters, lifting sanctions on international terrorists, and agreeing to withdraw all US forces in exchange for promises from the Taliban, with no disclosed mechanism to verify Taliban compliance, would be reminiscent of the worst aspects of the Obama Iran nuclear deal," she said.
Pompeo defended the deal.
"No one is under any illusion that this will be straightforward," he told CBS News. "We have built an important base where we can begin to bring American soldiers home, reduce the risk of the loss of life of any American in Afghanistan, and hopefully set the conditions so the Afghan people can build out a peaceful resolution to their now, what for them, is a 40-year struggle."
Asked about the Afghan Government's refusal to commit to releasing 5000 prisoners before talks with the Taliban, Pompeo said "we will work with all relevant parties . . . to create confidence-building measures amongst all of the parties."
Asked whether releasing 5000 Taliban fighters would jeopardise the prospects for peace, he said there have been prisoner exchanges in the past.
"We have managed to figure our path forward," he said. "We'll know who these people are."
Outside the palace walls in Kabul, Afghans expressed apprehension and elation.
"I'm not optimistic," said Qasima Khuram, a 22-year-old student working in a cafe in the Afghan capital. Khuram, who said she has dreams of being a business owner after completing her master's degree, said she was most concerned about women's rights if the Taliban assumes a formal role in any future Afghan Government.
"We know their background, we know their history," she said. "So looking back at this, we know what they would do in the future."
Across the street, a 57-year-old man selling almonds said he would have danced when the peace deal was signed — "if I knew how to dance."
"This Government guides people to hell," said the man, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals. He lived through Taliban rule in Kabul, he said, and never witnessed the levels of corruption, petty theft and crime he has seen under the current administration.
"Hearing about the peace deal, it energised me," he said.
What the peace deal signed in Doha did not mention is the future of the period of reduced violence that preceded the deal's signing. After the signing ceremony, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the week-long period of reduced violence has "ended."
Ghani said the reduction in violence would extend and eventually transform into a cease-fire.
The top US commander in Afghanistan "has made it clear to the Taliban that this is part of the [peace] deal," Ghani said. "If they back away from it, then [the Taliban are] openly violating the condition set for them."
