Afghan government calls for ceasefire in Ramadan, Taliban refuses

SANAA, April 25 (YPA) – The Taliban rejected the Afghan government’s call for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan and in order to allow the authorities to focus on fighting the Corona epidemic, which again raised concerns about prospects for the fragile peace process in the country.
A Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said in a message on Twitter that a ceasefire would be possible if the peace process was implemented “fully” but that “obstacles” meant that the Taliban had not yet laid down their arms.

Shaheen added in his message on Thursday night, “The request for a cease-fire is neither reasonable nor convincing.”

On Thursday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called for a ceasefire in Ramadan that began in Afghanistan on Friday, in order to allow the country to focus on what he described as the critical situation of the spread of the Corona virus across the country.

Afghanistan has recorded more than 1,300 cases of Corona, but health experts say the number may be greater, with limited checks and a weak health system that will struggle to cope with widespread virus outbreaks.