Nato chief urges Taliban to ‘stop killing fellow Afghans’

THE CHIEF of Nato has urged the Taliban to stop killing their fellow Afghans, an appeal that came just hours after the insurgents attacked border troops in western Farah province, killing at least 20.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said the “Taliban must realise the war does not benefit anyone”.

A resurgent Taliban now hold nearly half of Afghanistan and carry out near-daily attacks on Afghan security forces, inflicting heavy casualties.

The Taliban views the USbacked government in Kabul as a dysfunctional Western puppet and have refused repeated offers to negotiate with it.

But Washington and Nato are holding out hope, seeking to find a negotiated exit to 17 years of war.

Speaking alongside Mr Stoltenberg, Mr Ghani said his government hopes “the beginning of formal negotiations is not far”.

“The result has to be an inclusive Afghan peace, one that all Afghans accept,” he said.

To this end, “we support the engagement of our international colleagues”.

The remarks of the two stood in sharp contrast to the violence that shakes the nation almost daily.

In western Farah province, the Taliban attacked an Afghan border base on Monday night, killing at least 20 troops and abducting about 20 others.