Taliban announce three-day ceasefire to end Ramadan

The Afghan Taliban declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire on Monday during Eid al Fitr, the holiday that will end the fasting month of Ramadan from Wednesday.

The government has accepted the truce, which represents a temporary respite for the Afghans, but it is far from its aspirations for both contenders to reach an agreement that ends the violence.

Hours before the announcement, 13 civilians were killed in two explosions caused by roadside bombs in Zabul and Parwan provinces.

“The announcement has not aroused enthusiasm among the public because it is very temporary and comes amid an increase in fighting across the country. The Afghans are tired of this situation and only a three-day truce does not solve it ”, confides to EL PAÍS Ali Yawar Adili, from the Afghan Analysts Network (AAN) research and political analysis center. In his opinion, it is "a tactical measure" by the Taliban that takes advantage of the fact that violence usually declines on these holidays, gives their combatants a break and, in the face of increasing international pressure and from neighboring countries, shows some flexibility.

The spokesman for the Political Office of the Taliban in Doha (Qatar), Mohamed Naeem, spread through Twitter the statement of the leaders of the "Islamic Emirate", as they refer to Afghanistan as when he was under their rule between 1996 and 2001 In it they tell their combatants that, "in order for citizens to enjoy the three days of Eid al Fitr in peace and security, (...) cease all offensive operations against the enemy throughout the country." In Afghanistan, the start of this religious celebration is scheduled for next Wednesday or Thursday at sunset, depending on when the ulama determine the end of the holy month.

1/3 تعليمات قيادة الإمارة الإسلامية للمجاهدين بخصوص وقف إطلاق النار خلال أيام عيد الفطر الثلاثة.

بمناسبة حلول عيد الفطر المبارك ولكي يقضي المواطنون أيام عيد الفطر الثلاثة في هدوء و امن و امان علفييلنجم.

- Dr.M.Naeem (@IeaOffice) May 9, 2021

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani responded with a message ordering all security forces to respect the truce, but insisting that the Taliban's violence has no legitimacy and avoids any recognition of their gesture.

“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is aware of the announcement of a three-day ceasefire by the Taliban during Eid al Fitr, but together with the Afghan people we emphasize [the need] for a real ceasefire. and durable, ”he says.

Ghani assures in the text that “the attacks during Ramadan in [the provinces of] Logar, Helmand, Ghazni, Herat, Baghlan, the Kabul school and the deadly incident today [for Monday] in Zabul show that any An attempt to impose violence and create terror among the population to achieve political goals, only earns them more hatred from the Afghans ”.

The announcement of the truce comes after the guerrillas launched a simultaneous offensive in several provinces, after the US and NATO troops began their withdrawal from Afghanistan on May 1. But the violence is not limited to military operations. Civilians are daily victims of indiscriminate attacks, such as the roadside hidden bombs that killed 11 passengers on a scheduled bus in Zabul province (southeast of Kabul) on Sunday night and two others in Parwan province (al north of the capital) on Monday morning. Several dozen more were injured.

No group has attributed these actions to itself as it has not done the attack last Saturday in Kabul which, according to the latest official count cited by Efe, left 85 dead and 147 wounded, most of them female students between 13 and 18 years of age. nearby school. The government and the Taliban held each other responsible for that attack, one of the most serious that the Afghan capital has suffered in months.

The Taliban guerrilla is not, however, the only insurgent group operating in the country. The local Islamic State franchise tends to claim the most brutal actions against civilian targets. Even so, many observers believe that the Taliban's refusal to suspend the armed struggle encourages violence that terrorizes the population and allows them to deny their involvement while presenting themselves as saviors in the face of an incapable government. Following the attack on the school, calls for them to lay down their weapons have multiplied.

It is not the first time that the Taliban have decreed a ceasefire on the occasion of the end of Ramadan, and also accepted an opportunistic "reduction of violence" in the week preceding the agreement with the United States for the withdrawal of its troops, in February. from last year. Representatives of the guerrillas and the Government of Kabul began to meet in Doha to seek a political settlement to end the armed struggle with which the insurgents are trying to regain the power that the US intervention took from them in 2001. There has been no progress since then and the announcement of the departure of foreign soldiers before September has left the Taliban with the feeling of having won the war and with no incentive to make concessions.