Afghan soldier Hekmatullah, who killed three Australians, flown to Qatar ahead of peace talks with Taliban
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By defence correspondent Andrew Greene
Posted 2 hours ago, updated 41 minutes ago
Hekmatullah is one of six prisoners transferred to Qatar for the talks.(Twitter: @TOLOnews)
An Afghan soldier who murdered three Australian soldiers has been flown to Qatar ahead of US-brokered peace talks with the Taliban.
Key points:
* Hekmatullah is one of six prisoners transferred to Qatar ahead of peace talks with the Taliban
* His release has been a sticking point in negotiations, with Australia demanding he be kept in prison
* Hekmatullah killed three Australian soldiers in an ambush at their base in 2012
The prisoner, known as Hekmatullah, has spent seven years in jail after killing Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, Sapper James Martin and Private Robert Poate in August 2012.
He ambushed the soldiers in a "green on blue" attack, while they were playing cards at their base at Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province.
The ABC has confirmed the former Afghan Army sergeant was on board a flight that took six prisoners to Doha.
A Taliban spokesman said all six prisoners were in "good health".
Sapper James Martin (left), Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic and Private Robert Poate (right), were killed in Afghanistan.(Australian Defence Force)
As a precondition to the talks, the Afghan Government has already released thousands of inmates, but half a dozen prisoners responsible for attacks on Western forces remain in custody, including Hekmatullah.
Hekmatullah, who originally was sentenced to death by hanging, was excluded from the prisoner swap with Afghanistan, under pressure from the United States and other coalition partners.
An Australian Government source said while the Qatar option was "not ideal", it was far preferable to Hekmatullah being released.
It remains unclear how long he and the other prisoners will be detained in Doha.
Hekmatullah murdered three Australian soldiers while serving as a sergeant in the Afghan National Army.(ABC News)
The Afghan Office of the National Security Council also told the ABC's 7.30 program that Hekmatullah would not be released "without the consent of the Australian Government and the victims' families".
Ahead of the peace talks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed the importance of finding a compromise that would lead to peace in Afghanistan.
"This opportunity must not be squandered. Immense sacrifice and investment by the United States, our partners, and the people of Afghanistan have made this moment of hope possible," he said in a statement.
"I urge the negotiators to demonstrate the pragmatism, restraint, and flexibility this process will require to succeed."
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