NATO And 15 Foreign Missions In Afghanistan Call For Ceasefire With Taliban

Ilustrasi militer Afghanistan. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos)

JAKARTA - Fifteen diplomatic missions and NATO representatives in Afghanistan urged Taliab to stop their military offensive, Monday, July 19 local time, hours after a peace meeting with Afghan representatives in Doha, Qatar failed to agree on a ceasefire.

A delegation of Afghan leaders met with Taliban political leaders in the Qatari capital over the weekend, but the Taliban, in a statement late on Sunday, made no mention of stopping the escalating violence in Afghanistan.

"This Eid, the Taliban must lay down their arms for good and show the world their commitment to the peace process," said 15 NATO missions and representatives, referring to a Muslim holiday on Tuesday.

The statement was supported by Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the delegations of the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as senior NATO civilian representatives.

During the recent Eid holiday, the Taliban had called for a brief ceasefire, saying they wanted to let Afghans spend it peacefully.

Afghan military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of Defense Current Photos)

This time there was no such announcement, as the Taliban made rapid territorial gains in an almost unprecedented level of fighting nationally, as US-led foreign forces completed their withdrawal after 20 years of fighting.

Monday's statement also condemned rights abuses, such as attempts to close schools and media in areas recently captured by the Taliban. The militants have previously denied the move.

The Taliban said on Monday they had captured the Dehrawood district in Uruzgan province, southwest of Kabul, after intense clashes with government forces the night before. Provincial officials confirmed the Taliban's progress.

In the northern province of Samangan, security forces managed to retake the Dara-e-Sof Bala district from the insurgents, the military in the area said, adding that 24 Taliban fighters, including a shadow district governor and two commanders had been killed. Clashes took place there on Monday. Reuters could not independently verify the information provided by the military.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday visited the capital of Herat Province in the west. The Taliban have seized all 17 districts of the province in recent days, except for the capital, the city of Herat, which is under siege.

Illustration of the Taliban Army. (Wikimedia Commons/isafmedia)

In Doha, Qatar, political leaders and the Taliban discussed a political settlement to end the conflict, said the head of the peace council, Abdullah Abdullah, who took part in the talks, Monday.

"We agreed to continue talks, seek a political solution to the current crisis, avoid civilian casualties, facilitate humanitarian aid and medical supplies to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic," he posted on Twitter.

In a statement late on Sunday, the Taliban said: "Both sides agreed on the need for an expedition in peace talks, to find a just and permanent solution to the current problems in Afghanistan as soon as possible."

Peace talks between the Taliban and prominent Afghan government figures, the militants have refused to acknowledge or talk to the US-backed government, began in September last year but failed to make any progress.

Separately, the Taliban spokesman in Doha, Mohammed Naeem, denied media reports that the insurgent group had agreed to an Eid truce in exchange for the release of its prisoners.