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The leader of the Taliban, said Wednesday that his group was committed to a landmark agreement with the united states, despite being accused of carrying out hundreds of attacks in Afghanistan since it was signed in February.
Haibatullah Akhunzada urged Washington “not to miss” the opportunity offered by the agreement to put an end to the longest war in a message released ahead of next week’s Eid al-Fitr, the feast that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
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“The Islamic Emirate is committed to the agreement signed with the united states, and urges the other side to comply with its own commitments and not to allow this critical opportunity to go waste,” Akhunzada said in a statement, using the name the Taliban called Afghanistan when they were in power.
“I urge the Us authorities not to pay anyone the chance to hinder, delay and ultimately derail the internationally recognized in the bilateral agreement,” the reclusive leader added.
To check out the forces of
After months of negotiations, the Taliban and the U.S. signed an agreement on February 29, which stipulates that Washington remove all its troops by next year in exchange for security guarantees.
President Ghani, right, and his rival Abdullah, left, signed a political agreement in Kabul [Afghan Presidential Palace/Handout/Reuters]
The Doha agreement provided that the talks between Afghan authorities and the Taliban to reach a lasting peace, but that has been delayed as a prisoner exchange – a key part of the agreement – has not been fully implemented.
The so-called intra-Afghan talks were also delayed by a leadership of the rivalry between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah. Last week, they signed a power-sharing deal that will move the peace process forward.
The us President, Donald Trump, the government has given priority to the termination of the war in Afghanistan and, in an attempt to facilitate the withdrawal of its forces, the u.s. officials have been pushing for intra-Afghan peace talks.
Under the agreement, the Taliban promised to stop attacking the interests of the united states, but has continued to target Afghan forces in the provinces.
The Taliban have intensified attacks against Afghan forces after President Ghani ordered the troops to take offensive posture against the armed groups, following two deadly attacks last week that killed dozens of people.
Last week, at least 24 people were killed in an attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul and a suicide blast at a funeral in the same day which left 32 dead in Nangarhar province.
The Taliban denied involvement in the two attacks, although Ghani blamed the Taliban and the ISIL (ISIS) armed group by the shedding of blood.
The increase of civilian casualties
At least 20 people have died, including eight soldiers, in the attacks against the Taliban in the last week.
Eight soldiers were killed Tuesday in an attack by Taliban in Konduz, a strategic city in northern Afghanistan, which had briefly fallen to the armed group two times in the past, officials said.
The defence Minister, Assadullah Khalid, who visited Kunduz later on Tuesday, said the Taliban had “suffered great loss”.
“Unfortunately, we’ve also lost eight brave soldiers,” he told the AFP news agency.
Analysts say that the Taliban have been emboldened by the February deal, and the Afghan government officials have reported that more than 3,800 attacks, which killed 420 civilians and wounded 906, since the signing of the agreement.
The United Nations has warned that the increase in violence has also led to an increase of casualties among civilians.
The Taliban were responsible for 208 civilian casualties last month – 25 percent more than in April, 2019 – the Mission of united nations Assistance in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said in a statement.
It was said that the casualties attributed to the Afghan security forces in April numbered 172, an increase of 38 percent.
“The parties have committed themselves to finding a peaceful solution and should protect the life of all Afghans and non-threatening to the people the hope of an end to the war,” said Deborah Lyons, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan.
Last week, at least 24 people were killed in an attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul, which caused an outrage of the international community [Omar Sobhani/Reuters]
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
