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Ashraf Ghani consults leaders; push for ceasefire in negotiation with Taliban
Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani held a coordination meeting on Saturday attended by US Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson and US forces commander and both vowed support to Afghan forces.
The day Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was rumoured to resign, the Afghan leadership rose to the occassion and after assuring people of remobilising the armed forces, Ghani on Saturday held a consultative meeting with political and jihadi leaders, Tolo News reported citing the Presidential Palace. He also held a coordination meeting with officials where he was briefed on the security situation in Kabul and the neighbouring provinces. Reports said the meeting was attended by US Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson and US forces commander and both vowed support to Afghan forces.
The participants in the consultative meeting agreed with Ashraf Ghani's notion that the situation can't be allowed to turn towards further instability. An authoritative team for negotiations will be assigned, it has been decided. The responsibility of this team has not been specified, but reports said they will push plans of ceasefire and an interim setup.
According to reports, the Taliban are camping just 50 kilometres away from Kabul and two more provinces were captured on Saturday. Logar which is just at south of Kabul was captured by Taliban insurgents and some reports said the Taliban have reached the Chae Asyab district which is just 11 kilometres south of Kabul. The Taliban offensive gained immense pace in the last three weeks as Taliban fighters captured key provincial capitals across the country.
In the televised speech he said he was consulting politicians and international leaders and he will not let the gains the country has made in the past two decades be lost. "As your president, my focus is on preventing further instability, violence, and displacement of my people," Ghani said.
Qatar, which has been hosting so-far inconclusive peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, said it had urged the insurgents to ceasefire during a meeting with their representatives on Saturday.
