Ghani expresses readiness to observe ceasefire if Taliban does

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday expressed his readiness to observe a ceasefire if the Taliban outfit also does.

"The government of Afghanistan is always ready to observe ceasefire but the Taliban group isn't," President Ghani said in his message marking Eid-ul-Fitr, the second largest annual religious festival that marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslims holy fasting month ended on Tuesday.

Ghani also said that the people of Afghanistan were hopeful that the Taliban group may observe ceasefire at least during the three-day festival, reports Xinhua news agency.

The President also praised his security forces' fight against militants, saying the they were able to foil the anti-government insurgents' vicious plans to destabilize the security and peace process.

The Taliban outfit leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada in a message on Monday, once again rejected the offer for talks with the Afghan government and vowed to continue the war till the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. IANS