The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) welcomed and supported an appeal which came from the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for the immediate cease in the fight against coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak in the country, on Thursday.
The Xinhua news agency quoted the AIHRC as saying that all the sides of war must give up and focus on the fight against the pandemic and protect the lives of the citizens of Afghanistan.
AIHRC calls for ceasefire
On Monday, the UN chief appealed for an "immediate global ceasefire" aiming at protecting the vulnerable civilians in the conflict zones from the ravages of the pandemic. "The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war," Guterres said in a briefing at the UN headquarters in New York. However, he did not mention any country by name but added "that is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world".
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani frequently called on the Taliban to agree on a ceasefire to facilitate peace talks and most importantly the fight against the COVID-19 but the outfit refused and persisted on continuation of war in the conflict-ravaged nation. In the latest clashes, five Afghan police officers and 10 Taliban militants were killed and several people wounded after Taliban attacked security forces positions in northern Kunduz and western Ghor provinces on Wednesday night.
(With agency inputs)
