No Decision for Unilateral Ceasefire During Eid Days: Interior Minister

The Afghan government and the Taliban insurgent group have no intention to announce a ceasefire during the upcoming Eid days, a top Afghan official said on Sunday.

Massoud Andarabi, the Afghan Interior Minister said there was no decision for a unilateral ceasefire during Eid days in the government.

“We haven’t heard of such a plan yet. Though we hope for peace but right now we are engaged in fighting with the Taliban and our operations are ongoing to suppress the insurgents,” Andarabi said.

Sources close to the Taliban say that the insurgent group will not agree on a long-term ceasefire until the issue of foreign forces withdrawal from Afghanistan is not finalized.

“I don’t think the Taliban announce a ceasefire. Even if they announce a truce for three or four days during the Eid it will not help,” said Mawlawi Qalamuddin, a former Taliban official.

Earlier, more than 3,000 Afghans in a gathering called on the Afghan government and the Taliban to announce a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan but Taliban rejected the request, saying fighting has more reward during Ramadan.

Last year, Taliban agreed a three-day ceasefire at the end of the holy month of Ramadan – their first since the 2001 US-led invasion.