KABUL, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan government has released three key Taliban prisoners, including Annas Haqqani, for exchange with a kidnapped U.S. professor and an Australian professor, reported local media on Tuesday.

"Annas Haqqani together with two other Haqqani network prisoners were released from Bagram and arrived in Qatar on Monday morning," Tolo News TV aired on its news bulletin.

On Nov. 12, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani announced the decision for releasing the trio, saying the decision was made after consultation with Afghanistan's international partners.

Ghani said the release would be conditional and should pave the ground for direct talks with the Taliban to find negotiated settlement for country's crisis.

The release of the Taliban prisoners was criticized by a vast majority in Afghanistan.

The two lecturers served in American University of Afghanistan were kidnapped in August 2016 from near the university building in southwestern of Kabul city.

However, the TV report added that it was not clear whether the two professors were freed or not.

Annas Haqqani is the son of deceased Jalaluddin Haqqani, former leader of the Haqqani network militant group. Two other prisoners are Hajji Mali Khan and Hafiz Rashid.

As a Taliban-linked militant group, the Haqqani network is mostly operating in eastern provinces and capital Kabul and responsible for many high-profile attacks on security forces.

The report added that Annas will live in Qatar under a house arrest.

The network was designated as a terrorist group by the United States in 2012.