Cease-fire reached with Taliban until June 20
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday announced for the first time an unconditional cease-fire with the Taliban, coinciding with the end of the Muslim fasting month, but excluding other terrorist groups, such as Islamic State.
The decision came after a meeting of Islamic clerics this week declared a fatwa, or ruling, against suicide bombings, one of which, claimed by Islamic State, killed 14 people at the entrance to the clerics’ peace tent in Kabul, the capital.
The clerics also recommended a cease-fire with the Taliban, who are seeking to reimpose strict Islamic law after their ouster in 2001, and Ghani endorsed the recommendation, announcing a laying down of arms until June 20.
Ghani has urged ceasefires with the Taliban before, but this was the first unconditional offer since he was elected in 2014.
“This cease-fire is an opportunity for Taliban to introspect (sic) that their violent campaign is not winning them hearts and minds,” Ghani said in a message on social network Twitter after a televised address.
There was no immediate reaction from the Taliban but an international political analyst based in Kabul was unimpressed.
“It’s a one-sided love story,” he said.
US Forces-Afghanistan said they would honor the ceasefire.
“We will adhere to the wishes of Afghanistan for the country to enjoy a peaceful end to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and support the search for an end to the conflict,” Gen. John Nicholson, US Forces-Afghanistan and the NATO-led Resolute Support commander, said in a statement.
The cease-fire would not include US counterterrorism efforts against Islamic State and al Qaeda, it said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the announcement which he said “shows the seriousness of President Ghani and the Afghan government.” Both he and the United Nations urged the Taliban to reciprocate.
The United States and Russia also praised the decision.
“The Afghan government’s offer of a temporary cease-fire underscores its commitment to peace as both a national and religious responsibility,” the State Department said in a statement.