Afghanistan announces temporary ceasefire with Taliban ahead of Ramzan; US, UN welcome unprecedented move

Kabul, June 9: In a massive move to bring peace in the region ahead of Ramzan, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani announced a temporary ceasefire with the Taliban terror outfit till June 20 of this year.

 

Notably, the Afghani President Ashraf Ghani in a televised address announced a temporary ceasefire with the Taliban until June 20. He said that the security forces will stop counter operations against Taliban till 20 June.

However, he said that fighting against other armed groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) will continue. Later in a series of tweet, he said, “The ceasefire will last "from the 27th of Ramadan until the fifth day of Eid-ul-Fitr".

Ghani further said, “This ceasefire is an opportunity for Taliban to introspect that their violent campaign is not winning them hearts and minds but further alienating". “With the ceasefire announcement we epitomize the strength of the Afghan government and the will of the people for a peaceful resolution to the Afghan conflict,” he tweeted.

Soon after the announcement, the United States, Russia and United Nations welcomed Afghanistan's offer of a ceasefire to the Taliban.

The State Department said, “The United States welcomed Afghanistan's offer of a ceasefire to the Taliban.” "The Afghan government’s offer of a temporary ceasefire underscores its commitment to peace as both a national and religious responsibility," it added.

Russia also welcomed the ceasefire offer but said it doubts the Taliban will join it, Interfax news agency reported, citing Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan.

On the other side, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the week-long ceasefire announced by the Afghanistan government with the Taliban and called on the militant group to reciprocate the temporary pause. He also expressed the world organisation's solidarity with the people and government of Afghanistan and said that the UN "remains committed to supporting an Afghan-led peace process."

BACKGROUND:

Importantly, the ceasefire follows the Afghan Government's call for unconditional peace talks with the Taliban at the Kabul Process II conference in the Afghan capital in February this year. The move also comes on the back of calls by more than 2,000 religious scholars who had gathered this week in the capital, Kabul, to denounce the ongoing conflict and urge all warring sides to embrace peace added the UN mission.