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President Ashraf Ghani’s efforts to jump-start the peace talks with the Taliban hit another hurdle this week when the Taliban on Sunday declared their three-day ceasefire over and ordered their fighters to return to the trenches. 

However, despite the Taliban’s decision, government is still confident that the peace talks can be restarted. 

On Monday, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said as Taliban left the cities after Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, many stayed behind and are likely to join the peace process. 

This came after Ghani’s unilateral ceasefire was widely hailed by both Afghans and the international community. Following Ghani’s ceasefire announcement, the Taliban followed suit, but instead ordered just a three-day truce. 

Afghan politicians are confident that the initiative could lead to the resumption of the stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. 

“Peace and reconciliation are among the topics which the entire population agrees on; there has not been any kind of complexity and ambiguity to it, Jamiat party welcomes any move by the government which is taken to end the war,” said Abdul Hafiz Mansour, a member of the leadership council of Jamiat-e-Islami party of Afghanistan. 

But Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi, the chairman of New National Front of Afghanistan (NNFP), was not optimistic about a long-term ceasefire on the part of the Taliban.  

“The government announced a ceasefire, but this ceasefire will not be a long-term ceasefire, if it happens, talks will be held about peace,” said Ahadi. 

“The warm welcome by the people indicates that the peace has become a collective and national demand, we hope to pave the way for lasting peace with collective efforts,” said President Ashraf Ghani’s deputy spokesman Shahhussain Murtazawi. 

Thousands of Taliban members entered cities, towns and villages across the country where they celebrated Eid with residents and security forces over the weekend. By Sunday evening most had left and returned to their strongholds. 

But despite the euphoria experienced across the country, questions have been raised as to what happens to those Taliban members who have stayed in the cities.  

“Thousands of them flocked into the cities and also over 2,500 of them (Taliban) came into Kabul and saw that government is serious about peace; but now some of them are still staying and some of them have gone; those who have stayed, the Afghan peace commission will decide about them,” said defense ministry deputy spokesman Mohammad Radmanish. 

The three-day ceasefire was however respected by both security forces and the Taliban but where government on Sunday extended its orders for another 10 days, the Taliban ordered its fighters to return to the trenches and resume the war. 

The defense ministry has said that many Taliban members stayed behind in cities after Eid and are likely to join the peace process. 

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President Ashraf Ghani’s efforts to jump-start the peace talks with the Taliban hit another hurdle this week when the Taliban on Sunday declared their three-day ceasefire over and ordered their fighters to return to the trenches. 

However, despite the Taliban’s decision, government is still confident that the peace talks can be restarted. 

On Monday, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said as Taliban left the cities after Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, many stayed behind and are likely to join the peace process. 

This came after Ghani’s unilateral ceasefire was widely hailed by both Afghans and the international community. Following Ghani’s ceasefire announcement, the Taliban followed suit, but instead ordered just a three-day truce. 

Afghan politicians are confident that the initiative could lead to the resumption of the stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. 

“Peace and reconciliation are among the topics which the entire population agrees on; there has not been any kind of complexity and ambiguity to it, Jamiat party welcomes any move by the government which is taken to end the war,” said Abdul Hafiz Mansour, a member of the leadership council of Jamiat-e-Islami party of Afghanistan. 

But Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi, the chairman of New National Front of Afghanistan (NNFP), was not optimistic about a long-term ceasefire on the part of the Taliban.  

“The government announced a ceasefire, but this ceasefire will not be a long-term ceasefire, if it happens, talks will be held about peace,” said Ahadi. 

“The warm welcome by the people indicates that the peace has become a collective and national demand, we hope to pave the way for lasting peace with collective efforts,” said President Ashraf Ghani’s deputy spokesman Shahhussain Murtazawi. 

Thousands of Taliban members entered cities, towns and villages across the country where they celebrated Eid with residents and security forces over the weekend. By Sunday evening most had left and returned to their strongholds. 

But despite the euphoria experienced across the country, questions have been raised as to what happens to those Taliban members who have stayed in the cities.  

“Thousands of them flocked into the cities and also over 2,500 of them (Taliban) came into Kabul and saw that government is serious about peace; but now some of them are still staying and some of them have gone; those who have stayed, the Afghan peace commission will decide about them,” said defense ministry deputy spokesman Mohammad Radmanish. 

The three-day ceasefire was however respected by both security forces and the Taliban but where government on Sunday extended its orders for another 10 days, the Taliban ordered its fighters to return to the trenches and resume the war. 

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