Kabul: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has invited the Taliban to Kandahar province to engage in a discussion for bringing peace to the war-torn country, the media reported.
Addressing an event held in the province, the president said that if the Taliban is willing to bring peace, they can come to Kandahar to hold talks with the negotiating team of the Afghanistan government, TOLO News reported.
Ghani said that the Afghan people will not allow a further release of Taliban prisoners, as the group has not reduced violence.
“Now that they (Taliban) ask for the release of another 2,000 (prisoners), will you (people) allow their release? No. We saw that the bloodshed did not stop. They must stop the bloodshed so we can talk,” the president said.
Referring to the recent attacks by the Taliban in various parts of Kandahar, Ghani pledged that the Afghan security forces will restore security for the people in the province.
According to the Afghan leader, the militant group last year destroyed 16 per cent of the nation’s wealth in the ongoing war.
The Kabul team returned from Doha, where the peace talks took place since September 12.
The Taliban has opposed Ghani’s call to hold the next round of the peace negotiations in Afghanistan, saying the request signals fear on the country’s side.
The two sides also confirmed to have exchanged their lists about the agenda of the peace talks and that the next phase of the discussions will begin on January 5, 2021.
