Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had ordered military forces to launch offensive attacks on the Taliban, after the militant group on Tuesday killed 24 people in an attack on a maternity hospital. The group on Thursday attacked a military base in Gardez, killing five civilians and wounded 19—including five army personnel.
Russia’s presidential envoy Zamir Kabulov was quoted in a report by TASS, a Russian news agency, that Ghani’s order to launch an offensive against the Taliban and the suspension of the release of Taliban prisoners will halt the peace process in the war-ravaged nation.
Ghani, however, defended his stand and said, “Undoubtedly, any country who would face such attacks ending with the martyrdom of infants and mothers, would take the same position”.
While Kabulov said the move stalls the process of moving towards the launch of intra-Afghan negotiations, the Afghan government maintained that it has made its best efforts for bringing sustainable peace, and would continue with the same.
As per a Reuters report, the recent attacks have stalled American efforts to further the peace process between the Taliban and the Afghanistan government. As per experts, the attacks are more likely to thwart chance of any reconciliation between the Afghanistan government and Taliban.
A release by the Afghanistan foreign ministry said, “As the world is in crisis due to Corona, the Afghan government took an initiative and developed a peace plan in three articles. Ceasefire during the Corona pandemic, immediate commencement of intra-Afghan talks and prisoner release from both sides were clearly mentioned in this plan. This proposal was shared with the Taliban as well as with regional and international allies.” The proposal, however, got no response from the Taliban, though it was approved by regional and international allies.
According to the Afghanistan government, a positive response from the Taliban would have averted the recent attacks. The Afghanistan Foreign Ministry called upon their foreign allies to announce the endorsement of the peace proposal and persuade the Taliban to join the peace process.
“Peace is the most important priority of the Afghan government, meanwhile, the Afghan government would utilize all resources to ensure the security and defend its people,” the foreign ministry further added.