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Updated August 2nd, 2021 at 06:11 IST

Taliban have become 'more cruel, more oppressive': Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani

"They [Taliban] will not engage in meaningful negotiations unless situation changes on battlefield; therefore, we should have clear stance," Afghan leader said

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Taliban
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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Taliban has become "more cruel and oppressive,” Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani lashed out on Sunday as the war-ravaged country witnessed relentless violence and chaos with its key border crossings falling into the hands of the Talibani terrorists. Amid the sweeping offensive across north Afghanistan, Ghani held a virtual cabinet meeting with his officials wherein he said: "Yes, they (Taliban) have changed but negatively. They have no wish for peace, for prosperity, or progress; we want peace, but they want 'surrendered, subdued people and the government'.”

Furthermore, Ghani accused the Taliban of providing a “safe haven” to the foreign terrorists within the country, adding that he has a plan that would change the country's situation within the next six months, ANI reported. 

"They will not engage in meaningful negotiations unless the situation changes on the battlefield; therefore, we should have a clear stance. For this, there is a need for a countrywide mobilization,” Afghanistan’s President told officials in his remarks, as cited by the ANI news agency. 

The Afghan leader’s accusations against the Taliban came just a day after an Afghan watchdog report that found there have been 1,677 civilian casualties, and more than 3,644 injuries in 2021 on the soil due to Taliban’s attack. Furthermore, the report revealed that there was a sharp spike in violence, by nearly 80 percent in the region as compared to the previous year 2020. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) described these killings to have occurred in 1,594 violent incidents. "Important to note that the total number of civilian casualties in the first six months of 2020 was 2,957, including 1,213 killed and 1,744 injured,” the report read. “A comparison of the above-mentioned figures shows that civilian casualties have increased by 80 percent in the first six months of 2021 compared with the first six months of 2020,” it further revealed. 

'No military solution to the Afghan issue:' Ghani 

Afghanistan's President had earlier stated that his government was ready for "direct talks" with the Taliban as there is no military solution to the Afghan issue. Furthermore, he stated, that the Afghanis did not want anti-government elements in the country. "There is no military solution to the country's issue. We believe in the future of Afghanistan and today's Afghanistan has changed. We are ready for direct talks with the Taliban,” Ghani said at Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board Meeting at the Afghan Presidential Palace. 

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Published August 2nd, 2021 at 06:11 IST

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