The United States have agreed in principle to release several senior Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, in return for the Taliban’s agreement to open a political office in Qatar, The Guardian reports.

The individuals considered for release include the former interior minister of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Mullah Khair Khowa and Noorullah Noori, a former governor.

The Taliban are understood to also demand the release of former army commander Mullah Fazl Akhund. The US is reported to consider releasing him into the custody of another state, possibly Qatar.

"To take this step, the [Obama] administration have to have sufficient confidence that the Taliban are going to reciprocate," said Vali Nasr, who was an Obama administration adviser on the Afghan peace process until last year, to The Guardian. "It is going to be really risky. Guantánamo is a very sensitive issue politically."

"If it had not happened then the idea of reconciliation would have been completely finished. The Qatar office is akin to the Taliban forming a Sinn Féin, a political wing to conduct negotiations," Nasr said, but added: "The next phase will need concessions on both sides. This doesn't mean we are now on autopilot to peace”

The Taliban accepted proposals to open a political office in Qatar in a statement released yesterday, one week after Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed to the plans.

However, Afghanistan’s role in possible talks remains unclear, with the Taliban stressing in their statement that they are only willing to talk to the "United States of America and their foreign allies".