Afghanistan’s president proposes three-month ceasefire with Taliban since Monday, SkyNews reported. The ceasefire marks the Muslim Eid al Adha holiday as well.
While Afghan president offers the ceasefire, Taliban’s supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada is yet to give his final approval. President Ashraf Ghani said that the ceasefire is due to begin on Monday and will “continue as long as the Taliban preserves and respects it”. However, the Taliban is reportedly considering a four-day truce during the Muslim Eid al Adha holiday, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday. The rebels said it will free hundreds of prisoners to mark the holiday.
The presidential office said the ceasefire could eventually run for three months – until the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday, which Afghanistan celebrates on 21 November.
“We call on the leadership of the Taliban to welcome the wishes of Afghans for a long-lasting and real peace,”
Mr Ghan’s statement reads while the world leaders believe that it is the right time for the United States to end the armed conflict in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: America’s longest war continues
The continuing war in Afghanistan is sapping US resources and strategic focus while the list of far more serious national security threats. It is time to find a way to wind down America’s war in Afghanistan and to focus on the series of other challenges – from climate change to the rise of China.
President Trump must remember that the US withdrawal – with or without a negotiated end to the war – could lead to more instability in Afghanistan. Under current circumstances, the war in Afghanistan takes place in a much larger strategic context for the United States. Afghanistan – along with Iraq – has shaped the way an entire generation in America thinks about its country’s role in the world. In welcome news, the US recently began direct talks with the Taliban, the war fatigue is getting harder.
