President Ashraf Ghani on August 7, in his address to Loya Jirga (tribal assembly) members reiterated that neither he nor the country has the legal authority to decide on their future, reports Tolo News. “Based on the Constitution, the release of these 400 prisoners is not within the authority of the president of Afghanistan. We have passed through major hurdles to reach this point; we have reached a very sensitive and critical moment. The holding of this Jirga demonstrates my commitment to the implementation of the Constitution,” stated President Ghani. According to him, the Taliban have said that they will start direct talks with the Afghan government and civil society faction in three days if these 400 prisoners are released. President Ghani also said that the Taliban have warned of continued bloodshed if these inmates are not released.