Afghan people, Afghan officials, including President Ghani, have time and again called on Taliban to declare ceasefire and join the peace talks genuinely. The Taliban have rejected this offer, since their leaders have been living outside the country for years and have contacts with non-Afghan organs.
Holding talks in the country may restrict their contacts with their supporters, as officials said on multiple occasions that the group is harbored and supported by outsiders as well as having deep ties with other terror groups, including al-Qaida.
The Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has welcomed the recent Human Rights Watch and other verified independent sources’ reports on documenting the Taliban’s violence and crimes and condemning these reprehensible crimes.
The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the reports by verified independent resources and media indicate that the Taliban forces perpetrate in areas under their control unpardonable and prosecutable crimes, including illegal arrests, arbitral killings, torturing civilians, forced marriages, and violation of basic human rights, particularly women’s rights.
Indeed, the Taliban do not represent Afghan nation since they never listened to the people of Afghanistan nor seem to agree over holding talks on Afghan soil. If the Taliban really believe they belong to Afghanistan, they should not be afraid of living in the country and should cut ties with terror groups and pave the way for lasting peace and stability in the war-torn country.
Meanwhile, if the Taliban are keen to hold negotiations, they have to reduce their violence and avoid forcing people to leave their localities. Currently, however, the Taliban fighters kill Afghan civilians and soldiers without an iota of care or concern.
The Afghan government calling on the international community, human rights agencies, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to cooperate in preventing the Taliban’s organized atrocities and prosecution of the perpetrators to put an end to impunity in Afghanistan.
The regional and global stakeholders, including the US, should pressure the Taliban to uphold all the treaties and constitutional principles regarding equal rights of men and women and women should not be discriminated on the basis of their gender.
Indeed, the Taliban are fighting for gaining power rather than national or religious concerns. That is to say, the Taliban leaders are not concerned about bringing in security or upholding the rights and freedoms of Afghan people, but to hold positions within the government. They operate for their self-interests under the mask of religion.
The Taliban show no concern about the public security or the rights and liberties of citizens. They spill the blood of Afghan people to gain their self-interests and political positions. In short, the Taliban seek power at the cost of thousands of lives. Since only gaining power matters for them, they are unlikely to answer positively to the demands of Afghan government or nation.
Therefore, the Afghan government and its allies should now focus on war strategy, as the group has never shown willingness for peace and rather killing people and applying their own rules in territories under their control.
Meanwhile, the documentation of Taliban’s crime shouldn’t be limited to only investigations, but tangible and practical steps should be taken to stop the group’s atrocities and mass assassination of the civilians.
Tangible steps should be taken to end Taliban’s atrocities
