KABUL: The Taliban on Monday denied media reports which said their leadership was to announce a short ceasefire, a key demand of Washington on resuming peace talks.
On Sunday, various international media outlets cited unnamed Taliban sources saying that the group's leadership after days of consultation had agreed to a one-week truce period.
Suhail Shaheen, Taliban spokesman based in Qatar where the insurgents have been running their political office, and Zabihullah Mujahid, regular spokesman for the insurgents, have separately refuted the reports.
"Some media for several days have been reporting false reports regarding ceasefire from the Islamic Emirate's side,” Mujahid said in a statement.
“The reality is that the Islamic Emirate has no intention of (enforcing) truce. Americans have asked for a reduction of fighting and operations, about which consultation has been ongoing on the side of the Islamic Emirate,” he said, adding that no final decision has been made by Taliban leadership. He also rejected reports of a rift in the group's ranks.
Shaheen, who has been involved in various rounds of talks with US diplomats in Qatar, termed the reports as propaganda, urging media organizations to avoid publishing such news.
"Some media on the basis of rumors publish their reports which are void of truth. Of course, if there is anything we definitely will share it with our people and press. Media should refrain from publishing unconfirmed reports."
After calling off the talks with the Taliban in September, following an attack by the militants which killed an American soldier in Kabul, US President Donald Trump on a surprise visit to Afghanistan in late November ordered a resumption of peace discussions but demanded the ceasefire as its precondition.
US diplomats and Taliban delegates restarted negotiations in Qatar, but following a major attack by the group on the US military’s main airfield in Bagram in early December, Washington’s special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, announced a pause in the talks for Taliban representatives to consult their leaders on the truce.
It is unclear when the talks will resume and how Taliban leaders will respond.
The Taliban in the past insisted that they would announce a ceasefire after a peace agreement with the US, which would give a timetable for the departure of foreign troops.
The Afghan government has also demanded the ceasefire, but it is not involved in the talks due to objections by the Taliban. Waheed Omer, the adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said the government was not aware of any truce plans by the militants.
“We have clearly communicated our stance. The ceasefire is a precondition for us. It’s upon the Taliban to make up their minds. We cannot comment on speculations and rumors,” Omer said on Sunday.