KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2020) Afghan Acting Defense Minister Asadullah Khalid said on Thursday that the released Taliban militants had returned back to war and that the level of violence had increased in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, Khalid was appointed as the country's defense minister while Gen. Yasin Zia became the new chief of the army staff.
"We have reports that the released Taliban have returned back to the battlefield and killed. We are ready for inter-Afghan talks, but these talks have not started ... The Taliban have not only [not] reduced the violence, they have also increased their attacks over the past year. We will continue to support the Afghan security forces in line with our commitments to the international community," Khalid said at the ceremony.
National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib, on his part, said that the Taliban had not achieved "an inch of progress at the war last year," adding that the Afghan forces has managed to retake control of eight districts.
At the same time, the Afghan military leadership noted that Kabul was ready for peace if the Taliban showed real intention to stop violence, otherwise the Afghan forces would continue fighting.
"If you choose the path of peace, you will be welcomed with warm hugs, and if you choose the path of war, you will be welcomed with warm bullets," Zia said.
The Taliban were in power in Afghanistan from 1996-2001 before being overthrown by forces of a UN-mandated coalition of US-led international troops. The radical movement has since fought to regain recognition and expel foreign troops, including by waging an insurgency against the Afghan government and terrorizing the country's civilian population.
The Taliban have committed to reducing violence as part of a peace pact negotiated by the United States in the Qatari capital of Doha on February 29. In addition to a mutual release of prisoners and the launch of intra-Afghan talks, this was expected to pave the way for ending the almost two-decade long confrontation between Kabul and the radical group.
