TALIBAN AMBUSH CONVOY OF BUSES, TAKE AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE HOSTAGE
Afghan forces free 149 hostages taken in ambush
KABUL: The Taliban were silent on Monday to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s proposal for a three-month ceasefire, even as militants ambushed three buses and abducted 170 passengers in northern Kunduz province.
Afghan forces launched a lightning operation, rescuing 149 people, including women and children. The quick response marked a rare if limited battlefield success for the troops after weeks of unrelenting insurgent attacks.
The militants escaped with 21 captives following the battle in Kunduz province, and officials said tribal elders were trying to negotiate their release. Esmatullah Muradi, a spokesman for the governor in the northern province, said the Taliban have demanded the national identifications of the captives to determine their fate.
In June, the Taliban observed a government ceasefire over the three-day Eid ul-Fitr festival, leading to unprecedented scenes of government soldiers and militants embracing on front lines, and raising hopes for talks.
An official in Ghani’s office said the three-month-long ceasefire declared by the government was conditional, and if the Taliban did not respect it, the government would maintain military operations.
Earlier, Esmatullah Muradi, spokesman for the provincial governor in Kunduz, confirmed the rescue of the hostages captured by the insurgents. According to Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, the head of the provincial council in Kunduz, the Taliban were likely looking for government employees or members of the security forces who usually go home for the holidays.
All the passengers on the buses were from Badakhshan and Takhar provinces and were travelling to Kabul, said Abdul Rahman Aqtash, police chief in neighbouring Takhar province.
Ghani had unveiled the offer of a ceasefire on Sunday, saying police and troops would observe the truce from this week — but only if the militants reciprocated.
The move followed an extraordinarily violent week in Afghanistan that saw the Taliban storm the provincial capital of Ghazni and press the fight against security forces across the country, with estimates suggesting hundreds of people may have been killed.
It also came just hours after regional army spokesman Mohammad Hanif Rezaee said an airstrike against a Taliban convoy in the north of the country killed around 100 militant fighters.
The Taliban did not immediately respond to Ghani’s proposal, but vowed to release “hundreds” of “enemy prisoners” to mark the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday that starts this week.
It was not clear which prisoners they were referring to.
A senior Taliban member based in Pakistan told AFP the leadership had yet to issue a formal response to the ceasefire, but suggested fighting may be restrained during Eid even if no announcement is made.
Analysts were mixed over the proposal, with some saying the government’s move was a sign of desperation after recent heavy bloodshed, while others said the trust-building measure was integral to paving the way for negotiations.