Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel
KABUL: The Taliban group is blamed for breaching the ceasefire and reduction in violence commitments made as part of peace efforts as violence spirals out of control and the Afghan government says it could jeopardize the fragile peace process.
The Taliban, at some point, had tried to preserve an unannounced ceasefire, but waves of violence after Eid have unleashed, in which civilians and security forces suffered casualties. Public institutions were also destroyed.
The Taliban insurgents have taken the connotation of unofficial ceasefire and the reduction in violence wrongly and have kept violence flare against the Afghan people in different provinces, National Security Advisor, Javid Faisal said.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the Spokesmen of the Ministry of Interior and Independent Directorate of Local Governance, he said that the Taliban rebels used mosques, schools and civilian houses to design attacks against the security forces. “Continuation of violence could put the ongoing peace efforts at risk.”
He said that the Taliban did not reduce violence rather it increased it, and had not taken practical measures to move the peace process forward.
In regards to the Taliban prisoner releases, he said that the process would continue, but before releasing 2,000 prisoners there were some technical works which needed to be completed.
The government’s peace forces are ready to carry talks with the Taliban, he said and had casted doubt over Taliban preparations for the talks.
The Taliban has conducted 222 attacks in 29 provinces, in which 422 security forces were killed and wounded, said Interior Ministry Spokesman, Tariq Arian.
These attacks were included mostly as roadside bombings and Improvise Explosive Devices (IEDs) blasts against the Afghan forces checkpoints, and also public infrastructures in which roads, bridges and electricity pylons were destroyed, he told the newsmen.
Similarly, IDLG Spokesman, Sayed Shah Saqeem said that the Taliban had kept targeting public institutions during the reduction in violence period.
These attacks came as the provincial officials have been engaged to fight the covid-19 pandemic, he said. “Bridges and roads were destroyed by the Taliban, while the local residents were in need of assistance and serving.”
Taliban’s demolishing highways by bombs had caused the people to face huge difficulties in terms of receiving healthcare services as well as in agriculture fields, he added.
The Taliban has blown up 51 small and big bridges in a number of provinces and a big part of it was in Paktia, Paktika and Kandahar provinces, he added.
Moreover, Taliban also destroyed roads and exploded electricity pylons that deprived millions of Afghans from power, he added.
