Three Taliban commanders have been released by the Afghan government as part of a prisoner swap involving two Western hostages, sources have told Al Jazeera.
The sources said on Tuesday that the men, including senior Taliban leader Anas Haqqani, had landed in Qatar, which hosts the group's political office at the request of the United States.
In exchange, two university professors identified as US citizen Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks are set to be released later on Tuesday. The pair have been held by the Taliban for three years.
Representatives of the Afghan government and the US embassy in Kabul were yet to comment on the reported swap.