US URGES TALIBAN TO EXTEND CEASEFIRE IN AFGHANISTAN

Tue 11 May 2021:

The United States urges the Taliban to extend its short-term ceasefire currently in place in Afghanistan, US State Department spokesperson Ned price said on Monday.

“We urge the Taliban to extend the ceasefire and order a significant reduction in violence,” Price said in a press briefing.

The Taliban declared a three-day Eid ceasefire earlier in the day, but reserved the right to fire back for self-defense.

The United States welcomes the three-day ceasefire, Price said.

Moreover, Price said the Saturday bombing, which killed 63 people and wounded more than 150 others at an Afghan girls school has indications that the Islamic State terrorist group may be responsible for the attack.

Despite the ongoing peace talks, the Afghan government and the Taliban continue fighting each other on the ground. The confrontation unfolds on the backdrop.

The Trump administration negotiated a peace deal with the Taliban last year, under which the U.S. agreed to withdraw all its forces and the Taliban promised to sever its ties with al-Qaida and end its attacks on American forces.

President Joe Biden set Sept. 11 as the deadline for a full U.S. withdrawal, an extension of the May 1 deadline set by former President Donald Trump. The Pentagon began drawing down forces earlier this month. But as the American military footprint shrinks, the security situation in Afghanistan has become increasingly dangerous.

Since the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed in February 2020, the Taliban have not targeted American soldiers. But the militant group has escalated its attacks on Afghan forces, and civilians deaths have spiked.

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