KABUL, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban group has rejected peace offer made by the Afghan government and religious circles in the month of Ramadan to halt fighting and initiate negotiation.
The militant group, according to local officials, organized deadly blasts in the sport stadium of eastern Jalalabad city on May 18, killing at least eight people including athletes and injuring 55 others including athletes and spectators.
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in his message on the eve of Ramadan described the fasting month as a month of peace and called upon militants to respect the holy month and contribute towards achieving peace in Afghanistan.
Similarly, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in its message released on May 16, besides expressing warmest wishes to all Afghans, hoped that "observation of Ramadan will provide an opportunity for all communities in Afghanistan to come closer to each other and build bridges peacefully."
Afghan religious circles including the religious scholars' council of Afghanistan have also called upon the armed group to respect Ramadan and halt fighting at least throughout the holy month.
Taliban outfit which launched its so-called annual offensive on April 25 has doubled militancy activities since beginning of Ramadan, and besides organizing series of deadly roadside and suicide bombings, has also launched massive offensives on several districts and briefly captured some important areas.
Government forces, backed by the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission, were able to foil militants' attempt to overrun the key western city of Farah last week and keep their presence in the districts of Kohistan, Tala-o-Barfak, Jaghato, Zana Khan, among others.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Radmanish, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, has said that the security forces are capable enough to thwart any vicious designs of militants elsewhere in the militancy-battered country.
