Moscow to warring parties: Strive for a genuine peace

KABUL (Afghanistan Time): Russia has asked the warring parties in Afghanistan to cease hostilities rather strive for a genuine peace to be prevailed in the country. Russia’s Foreign Minister Spokesman, Maria Zakharova in a briefing on recent development in Afghanistan on Tuesday said that they have noted a considerable aggravation of the military-political situation in Afghanistan lately.

According to her, the Taliban fighters staged a number of large-scale attacks on military bases and checkpoints of government forces in Afghanistan.

In another sensational terrorist attack, ISIS terrorist group fired a barrage of mortar rounds against participants in a commemorative event in Kabul on March 7 and wounded presidential candidate Latif Pedram.

In turn, aviation units of the international coalition and Afghan government forces were trying not to reduce the intensity of air strikes in areas controlled by the armed opposition, and efforts were being made to maintain military pressure on the ground, she said.

“Moscow emphasized these hostilities took place in conditions of continued talks between the United States and the Taliban on ways to end the armed standoff and to establish a peace settlement in Afghanistan,” she added.

“The media has even reported the conclusion of a preliminary agreement on the terms for withdrawing foreign troops from Afghanistan; however, this document’s paper version should yet be coordinated as well as approved.”

Zakharova added: “Quite possibly, the warring parties are trying to bolster their arguments at the talks by stepping up military pressure We believe that this option has no future, and that it does not facilitate the attainment of agreements.”

“In our opinion, it directly serves to torpedo them, not to mention the fact that the continued war inflicts untold suffering on ordinary Afghans”.