A number of Taliban militants who either joined the Afghan government's reconciliation program or were freed after being detained have reportedly returned to the battlefield in western Herat province to wage war against Afghan and coalition forces.
An Afghan government official spoke to TOLOnews on condition of anonymity and provided a list of 10 names of individuals who were arrested and then released or were participating in the peace process but are now said to be fighting Afghan authorities once again.
The central government's peace process remains largely stalled, with only halting progress seen as Pakistan signals it is more committed to peace in Afghanistan and Taliban leaders such as Mutasem Agha Jan have suggested talks may be on the horizon.
Meanwhile, local-level reconciliation efforts have been much more active. The surrendering of a handful of Taliban insurgents looking to join the peace process is a monthly occurrence. Yet reports like the one provided to TOLOnews on Thursday indicate even those small-scale successes are shortlived.
In the case of Mullah Abdul Rahman Maldar, the peace process was only appealing while his brother was in prison. After his brother was released this year, he rejoined the Taliban ranks and has been implicated in a number of attacks in Herat including ones that have resulted in the deaths of Afghan National Police (ANP) officers and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers.
Mullah Abdul Razaq joined the peace process in 2012 with 20 followers, marking a major score for reconciliation proponents. But five days later, he was back in the field fighting the government with the Taliban.
Sayed Wali, Sayed Abdal and Ghulam Sakhi were three other names provided by TOLOnews' anonymous source as individuals who had engaged the peace process only to then about-face and pick up their weapons onace again.
But of course there are no guarantees when it comes to the peace process. What is perhaps more shocking, and for many unacceptable, is that countless Taliban insurgents have been freed after being captured by Afghan forces and allowed to return to the battlefield.
Mullah Hafiz Manan was arrested by Afghan security forces, but after only three months for unknown reasons he was freed and currently the senior commander of the Taliban's outfit in Kishk Rabat Sangi District of Herat province. The same was true for Mullah Dastagir, who currently serves as the insurgent leader of Gulran District.
The Afghan government has carried out a risky strategy this year, pushed by President Hamid Karzai, of releasing militants in Afghanistan and seeking the release of more across the border in Pakistan. Officials argue that by freeing the insurgents, they are building goodwill with the Taliban and freeing important leaders that could help advance a reconciliation agenda.
However, there have been a multitude of cases, the ones in Herat shared with TOLOnews just being the most recent, in which freed insurgents have shown no interest in peace, but rather jumping right back into the fight.
Mullah Abdulraouf was detained for seven months but then freed by a Presidential Decree this year. He is now suspected to be the top commander of Taliban insurgents in the northern districts of Herat province and thought to be responsible for the deaths of fifty Afghan Police officers and soldiers.
Mullah Nasir, on the other hand, was in prison for over a year before being released. He is now reportedly the Taliban's commander in Shindand and Adraskan districts of Herat and one of the insurgency's top explosives experts.
Finally, Mullah Abdul Karim was released from Bagram Prison this year and is now the Taliban's deputy shadow governor in Herat.
But Herat officials have remained positive about the peace process, arguing instances of recidivism amongst Taliban insurgents are not the majority of cases.
"The peace process has been in Herat for the past three years and we have tried to bring people into process and make them stay and they have stayed," said Mawlawi Ghulam Sarwar, the head of the Herat Peace Council. "Only Abdul Rahman, along with his two guys, have started a chaos. Focus should be on the thousands of people, rather than three."
According to TOLOnews' anonymous source, officials in Herat have turned the peace process into a kind of competition, trying to see who can get the most insurgents engaged in reconciliation talks. While perhaps a good strategy on the surface, the overzealousness has opened the door to the process being exploited by disingenuous combatants.
Said Fazlullah Wahidi, the Governor of Herat, was noticeably angered by the situation, and vowed insurgents would not get away with their crimes.
"This time when they come, they will be considered criminals," Wahidi told TOLOnews. "Those who kill national police or army officers and are charged for their murders and those who have committed crimes will not be forgiven and will be handed over to the judicial system."
But what happens in Herat likely won't affect things on the national scale, where the Karzai administration is pushing forward with its credulous strategy of getting insurgents released. Next week, the High Peace Council is expected to meet with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban second-in-command Afghan officials recently pushed the Pakistani government to release.