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King Salman Hopes Kabul-Taliban Truce Will Be Extended

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz said on Wednesday he has followed with great interest the truce reached over Eid-ul-Fitr between the Afghan government and Taliban and expressed his wishes for the truce to continue for a longer period of time.

In a Royal Court statement, the king said he has “followed with great interest the truce reached by the Afghan government and Taliban movement during the days of Eid-ul-Fitr” and also expressed his “pleasure over this blessed step” and noted his support for the move.

He also said the Afghan people, “who have suffered so much from the horrors of war, and the Islamic world with them, are looking forward to turning the page of the past and to open a new page based on tolerance and reconciliation, renouncing violence and preserving the lives of innocent people based on the great Islamic teachings that call for rejecting division, and for cooperation for righteousness and piety, and forgiveness and reconciliation among the brothers,” the Royal Court's statement said.

“The King asked Almighty God to bring success to the Afghan brothers in achieving what is best for their country, and to reconcile them and to bring about security and stability to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its dear people,” the Royal Court's statement said.

This comes after a successful three-day truce over Eid between government and the Taliban.

On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani extended the ceasefire for another ten days but the Taliban immediately returned to the trenches to resume their battle.

From Monday, a number of attacks, especially on security check posts, have been reported.

Despite ordering the extension, Ghani has however made it clear to security forces that if attacked they must defend themselves.

In the wake of the Eid ceasefire, hopes have been raised over the possibility of the resumption of peace talks with the Taliban.

On Wednesday the High Peace Council (HPC) said it was confident that big changes could happen in this regard within the next few months.

The spokesman for the council, Sayed Ehsan Taheri, said interest in talks among Taliban at different levels has increased and that the institution hopes to kick start negotiations with the group this year.

“The Taliban should accept the demand of the people for a ceasefire extension ... Trust should be built among them; and they (Taliban) should sit for talks with Afghans,” Taheri said.

King Salman Hopes Kabul-Taliban Truce Will Be Extended

Saudi Arabia’s king said the Islamic world is looking forward to a future for Afghanistan of tolerance, reconciliation and peace.

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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz said on Wednesday he has followed with great interest the truce reached over Eid-ul-Fitr between the Afghan government and Taliban and expressed his wishes for the truce to continue for a longer period of time.

In a Royal Court statement, the king said he has “followed with great interest the truce reached by the Afghan government and Taliban movement during the days of Eid-ul-Fitr” and also expressed his “pleasure over this blessed step” and noted his support for the move.

He also said the Afghan people, “who have suffered so much from the horrors of war, and the Islamic world with them, are looking forward to turning the page of the past and to open a new page based on tolerance and reconciliation, renouncing violence and preserving the lives of innocent people based on the great Islamic teachings that call for rejecting division, and for cooperation for righteousness and piety, and forgiveness and reconciliation among the brothers,” the Royal Court's statement said.

“The King asked Almighty God to bring success to the Afghan brothers in achieving what is best for their country, and to reconcile them and to bring about security and stability to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its dear people,” the Royal Court's statement said.

This comes after a successful three-day truce over Eid between government and the Taliban.

On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani extended the ceasefire for another ten days but the Taliban immediately returned to the trenches to resume their battle.

From Monday, a number of attacks, especially on security check posts, have been reported.

Despite ordering the extension, Ghani has however made it clear to security forces that if attacked they must defend themselves.

In the wake of the Eid ceasefire, hopes have been raised over the possibility of the resumption of peace talks with the Taliban.

On Wednesday the High Peace Council (HPC) said it was confident that big changes could happen in this regard within the next few months.

The spokesman for the council, Sayed Ehsan Taheri, said interest in talks among Taliban at different levels has increased and that the institution hopes to kick start negotiations with the group this year.

“The Taliban should accept the demand of the people for a ceasefire extension ... Trust should be built among them; and they (Taliban) should sit for talks with Afghans,” Taheri said.

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