The Taliban are to resume attacks against government forces, just days after signing a deal with the US aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan.
The hard-line Islamist group had observed a “reduction in violence” in the week leading up to the agreement.
The deal included a commitment to hold peace talks with the Afghan government. But the group’s spokesman said on Monday the talks would not go ahead if 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by the government were not released.
The release formed part of the agreement signed on Saturday in Qatar with the US. But on Sunday, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani told reporters his government had agreed to no such release.
The Taliban have previously refused to negotiate with the Afghan government, so Saturday’s deal was just with the US, which invaded Afghanistan weeks after the September 2001 attacks in New York by al-Qaeda, then based in Afghanistan.
The Taliban were ousted from power but became an insurgent force that by 2018 was active in more than two-thirds of the country.
The Taliban said they would resume fighting Afghan forces, but would not target international troops.
This contradicted Mr Ghani’s comments on Sunday. He had said the partial truce was set to continue “with a goal to reach a full ceasefire”.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told news agency Reuters they would not take part in talks with the government unless the release went ahead.
“We are fully ready for the intra-Afghan talks, but we are waiting for the release of our 5,000 prisoners,” he said. “If our 5,000 prisoners – 100 or 200 more or less does not matter – do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks.”
An estimated 10,000 captured Taliban are being held in Afghanistan.
The BBC’s Secunder Kermani says it’s not yet clear if the Taliban will now resume fighting – or if this is an attempt to pressurise the government into releasing the detainees.
Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC
