President Ashraf Ghani stressed that the situation in Afghanistan will completely change in the coming six months.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. (File Photo)
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that the situation in the war-torn country will change in the coming six months. He said that the security of cities from the Taliban is the first priority of his government. Addressing a virtual cabinet meeting, Ghani said on Sunday that the Taliban had become more brutal and oppressive over the past two decades. In recent days, the war between the Taliban and the Afghan Security Forces has intensified in Afghanistan. The security forces are giving a tough fight to the Taliban.
Ashraf Ghani said, ‘They (peace), prosperity or progress have nothing to do with them. We want peace, but they want surrender (of the suppressed people and the government). They will not hold meaningful talks until the situation on the battlefield has changed. That is why our stand is very clear. For this there is a need for mobilization across the country. President Ghani’s statement came at a time when Afghan security forces bombed Taliban fighters and their locations on Sunday to prevent it from gaining an edge over the country’s major cities.
Attack on Kandahar airport said to stop Afghan airstrike
On Sunday itself, the Taliban attacked the airport located in Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second largest city, with three rockets. Kandahar was once a stronghold of the Taliban. A Taliban spokesman said the attack was aimed at preventing attacks by Afghan security forces. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told Reuters that the Kandahar airport was targeted by us because the enemy was using it as a base to conduct air strikes against us. The airport’s runway was partially damaged due to the attack. Due to this the flight was suspended.
200 Taliban fighters killed in airstrike
Taliban fighters have also attacked at least two other provincial capitals, including Lashkar Gah in Helmand and Herat. The government has said that Afghanistan’s National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have killed hundreds of Taliban militants across the country. At least 200 Taliban fighters were killed in an airstrike by a US Air Force B-52 aircraft in Herat. Afghanistan’s security forces intensified operations and counter-attacks against the Taliban in Ghazni, Kandahar, Farah, Jozjan, Balkh, Samgan, Helmand, Takhar, Kunduz, Baglan, Kabul and Kapisa provinces.
Also read: The war in Afghanistan intensified, three major cities including Kandahar were surrounded by Taliban, Afghan soldiers are taking on the fighters
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