Afghan Defense Minister Asadullah Khalid proposed yesterday evening to the Taliban a truce in order to devote himself to combat the Corona epidemic, but he stressed that his country's forces would respond in a proactive manner to the ongoing attacks carried out by the movement.

"We suggest establishing a ceasefire to avoid this epidemic, so that we can treat people all over the country," the Afghan minister said in a video statement. The Taliban did not respond to the request of the Kabul authorities, but the movement announced last Monday its willingness to cooperate with NGOs and the United Nations in tackling the virus.

On the other hand, the American envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, demanded yesterday, Wednesday, a cable and Taliban to move forward in exchanging prisoners between them at the earliest time, stressing that the matter has become urgent in light of the spread of the Corona epidemic.

Afghanistan has so far recorded 22 cases of coronavirus, most of which are in the Herat border province with Iran, and thousands of Afghans cross the border every day with Iran. There are fears of increasing cases, which could lead to the collapse of the country's fragile health system, with thousands returning daily from Iran due to its current conditions.

Preemptive attacks
The Afghan Defense Minister’s call for a ceasefire did not prevent the Taliban from stressing that his country’s forces are now empowered to act proactively if the Taliban prepare for an attack against them, indicating that the movement “continued a high level of violence despite the signing of a peace agreement.”

While Afghan forces have suspended their offensive operations against the Taliban in the past few years, the latter has not stopped their attacks despite the peace agreement signed on February 29 in the Qatari capital, Doha, between the movement and the United States, which provides for the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country during 14 Months, and paves the way for negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul government.