Taliban reject Afghan ceasefire offer during Ramadan

Taliban reject Afghan ceasefire offer during Ramadan

During the holy month of Ramadan, the Taliban on Thursday rejected the Afghan government's offer of a ceasefire in the war-torn country.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has called on militants to lay down their arms for the Islamic holy month, which begins on Friday, as the country battles the growing corona virus epidemic.

The Taliban called the war "irrational" because they stepped up attacks on government forces.

Taliban spokesman Sohail Shaheen tweeted late Thursday to defy the government's offer, citing a possible peace process and delays in the ongoing prisoner exchanges as reasons to fight.

"Asking for ceasefire is not rational and convincing," Shaheen wrote when he accused the government of endangering the lives of prisoners during the epidemic.

Under a landmark agreement reached between the United States and the Taliban earlier this year, the Afghan government and insurgents now had to agree to a prisoner exchange and talks aimed at bringing about a comprehensive ceasefire.

The latest round of corruption comes after a new wave of insurgent violence this week killed dozens of Afghan security forces.

The attacks were mostly confined to rural areas and small towns. Under the US-Taliban agreement, the insurgents have agreed not to attack the cities.

US and other foreign forces have promised to leave Afghanistan by July 2021, provided the Taliban adhere to a number of security guarantees and negotiate with the government.

Ghani has been calling for a lasting ceasefire with the Taliban for years, only to be ignored by the growing resistance.

Instead, the Taliban have ridiculed Ghani's government, referring to them as "puppets" controlled by foreign powers, and refusing to join peace talks when they escalate attacks on Afghan forces. have done.