Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani has formally announced an end to the government’s unilateral ceasefire with Taliban insurgents, but urged the militant group to accept comprehensive peace talks.
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani has formally announced an end to the government’s unilateral ceasefire with Taliban insurgents, but urged the militant group to accept comprehensive peace talks.
“The ceasefire has ended, our security and defense forces are allowed to carry out operations,” Ghani stated on Saturday during a press conference at the presidential palace in the capital Kabul.
He also ordered security forces to resume operations against the group.
Ghani said the ceasefire, which lasted 18 days after it was extended once and overlapped with the Taliban’s unilateral three-day truce at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, had been “98 percent successful”.
The insurgents returned to the battlefield last week after refusing a government request to extend their ceasefire, launching attacks across the country that have seen scores killed or injured.
