QALA-E-NAW, Afghanistan, Jul 16 (NNN-XINHUA) – The governor of western Badghis province, Hasamudin Shams, made unofficial ceasefire with the Taliban outfit, in the provincial capital, Qala-e-Naw city, yesterday, to end the clash there.
“From 10:00 a.m. local time today (Thursday), a ceasefire came into effect between Security and Defence Forces and the Taliban group, in the provincial capital, Qala-e-Naw city,” the governor told Xinhua.
However, governor Shams said, no written agreement on the ceasefire had been inked and the truce is informal.
“The truce came into effect with the mediation of the elders of Qala-e-Naw city, and I am hopeful the Taliban remain committed to the verbal agreement,” he added.
Aimed at ending the conflict, the verbal agreement on the informal ceasefire has no timetable, the official said, adding that, he is hopeful the truce could turned into a permanent ceasefire.
This is the first time that a provincial government made truce with the Taliban, amid the armed group’s military advances and capturing more than 120 districts, after the start of the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Afghanistan early May.
Taliban militants, who are in control of all the districts of Badghis province, with Qala-e-Naw as its capital, 555 km north-west of Kabul, and their attempts to overrun Qala-e-Naw over the past one week, have yet to comment.
The ceasefire takes place amid Taliban demand for the release of 7,000 prisoners from Afghan government jails, and delisting the names of their leaders from the United Nations black list as the precondition for observing a three-month ceasefire.
Afghan First Vice President, Amrullah Saleh, earlier rejected the demand, saying, the government has released more than 5,000 Taliban detainees, as good will gesture to encourage Taliban for meaningful dialogue, but the process has yet to deliver, since the start of intra-Afghan dialogue on Sept 12, last year.– NNN-XINHUA