The two sides in the Afghan conflict -- the Taleban and the forces led by Ahmad Shah Massoud -- are preparing to exchange prisoners of war.

A senior Taleban spokesman, Abdul Hai Mutma'in said the two sides had agreed to release one-thousand prisoners each.

The prisoner exchange was mediated by a wealthy young Afghan intellectual , Sayed Jalal, who works as a businessman in Saudi Arabia.In an interview with the French news agency, AFP, Mr Massoud said a military solution to the conflict was not possible.

But he said a political agreement was only possible if Pakistan dropped its support for the Teleban.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied giving support to the Taleban.