KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has made a surprise cease-fire offer to the Taliban, saying it would give the insurgents a chance to reconsider their violent campaign during the final days of Ramadan.
Ghani proposed a seven-day truce from June 12, but said the offer did not extend to Daesh or Al-Qaeda.
In a televised speech, the Afghan leader said he made the offer — the first of its kind since he assumed power in late 2014 — following recent calls by Islamic scholars in Kabul for an immediate cease-fire between government forces and the Taliban.
He said details of the truce, covering the last days of the holy month and the period of Eid, will be announced later.
“This cease-fire is a chance for the Taliban to reconsider their violent campaign, which is not winning them hearts and minds but further alienating the Afghan people from their cause,” he said.
“The cease-fire announcement shows the strength of the Afghan government and the will of the people for a peaceful resolution to the Afghan conflict.”
Afghanistan’s defense and security forces will stop offensive operations only against armed Taliban, but will continue to target Daesh and other foreign-backed terror groups, Ghani said.
Deputy Interior Minister Gen. Akhtar Mohammad Ibrahimi said government forces will stop attacks on the Taliban, but troops would respond to any “attack or provocation” by the militants.
The Taliban have yet to comment on the truce proposal. However, the insurgents indirectly rejected a peace overture Ghani made in a regional conference in Kabul in February.
Ghani’s offer was welcomed by the UN and the UK and US military in Afghanistan, which promised to observe the truce.
“We will adhere to the wishes of Afghanistan for the country to enjoy a peaceful end to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and support the search for an end to the conflict,” said Gen. John Nicholson, US Forces-Afghanistan and the NATO-led Resolute Support commander.
“The cease-fire does not include US counterterrorism efforts against Daesh, Al-Qaeda, and other regional and international terrorist groups,” he said.
Ghani’s offer comes amid a rise in attacks by the insurgents, who have gained ground in recent months despite a surge in ground and aerial offensives by US and Afghan forces.
A meeting of more than 2,000 religious scholars from around the country on Monday called on both the Taliban and government to observe a cease-fire.
The Kabul gathering said “the ongoing war in Afghanistan is forbidden under Islamic law” and described suicide attacks and war against the government as illegitimate.
The religious meeting was targeted by a suicide bomber, who detonated explosives at the entrance of the event, killing several people, including seven clerics. The Taliban said it was not behind the attack, but described the meeting as “a US effort.”
