Photo from Ukrinform
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has announced the end of the ceasefire with Taliban, reported Reuters.
He urged the insurgents to agree to full-scale peace talks.
“The ceasefire has ended; our security and defense forces are allowed to carry out operations. It is now the Taliban’s decision, whether they want to keep killing or join the peace process,” Ghani said.
He said that the government of Afghanistan was seeking to achieve peace, but did not intend to hand over its territories to terrorists.
Today’s announcement means that Afghan security forces, which have adopted largely defensive methods since Eid, can resume their normal operations against the Taliban as well as Islamic State fighters, with whom there was no ceasefire. During the ceasefire, Taliban insurgents were seen mingling with soldiers, police and civilians on the streets of Kabul and elsewhere.
The three-day truce declared by the Taliban at the end of Ramadan, was unprecedented in the nearly 17-year conflict in the country.