Taliban walk as they celebrate ceasefire in Ghanikhel district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan June 16, 2018.REUTERS/Parwiz/File Photo
Reuters: Taliban rejects pleas by Afghan elders for a ceasefire extension
KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban on Monday rejected pleas by Afghan elders and activists for an extension of this month’s ceasefire and said they amounted to a call for surrender to foreign forces, as local groups continued to push for an end to fighting.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed the peace “slogans” and urged civil society activists and others not to join movements he said played into the hands of U.S. and international forces the Taliban wants to force from the country.
“They are not speaking about the occupation or the withdrawal of foreigners. Their objective is that we lay down our weapons and accept the regime imposed by the invaders,” he said in a statement.
A truce over the three day Eid al-Fitr festival this month, during which unarmed Taliban fighters mingled with soldiers and civilians in the capital Kabul and other cities has given fresh impetus to the calls for peace, although many also dismiss the ceasefire as a Taliban trick.
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WNU Editor: There are still some who believe that peace is possible in Afghanistan .... In Afghanistan, Ceasefires Could Pave a Path to Peace (Courtney Cooper, Defense One/Council on Foreign Relations). There are others who have a different point of view .... In Afghanistan, We Persist in Futility: The simple fact is that the U.S. is not winning the war. (Steve Chapman, Reason). More here .... Time for America to Leave Afghanistan (Richard A. Carrick, Small Wars Journal). What's my take. Insurgencies like Afghanistan's takes decades to run its course. Is the U.S. and its allies willing to fight for the next few decades? That is a debate t hat we should have .... but we are not. Hence the status quo and a war that shows no signs of ending.
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