Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday held the Taliban responsible for the ongoing violence in the country in which at least “200 to 600 people” are being killed every day.

Addressing a gathering in Khost province, Ghani asked the nation to stay united in support of independence, the republic and coexistence.

“The Taliban is responsible for the continuation of the war,” Ghani said. “Taliban should be asked whom they are fighting for? Who will benefit if Afghanistan is ruined and if Afghans are killed?”

“If you love Afghanistan, promise me you have not accepted the Durand Line, promise me not to change Afghanistan from a roundabout to a one-way road, promise me you will not sell Afghanistan’s waters to others, promise me you will not serve others,” President Ghani said, pointing at the Taliban – a hardline Sunni Islamist militia seeking to overthrow the government and establish its own rule.

The Durand Line denotes the international land border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it remains largely unrecognized by Afghanistan.

In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Ghani said no one has doubt in where the Taliban comes from and where it is living.

“We want peace with everyone…. If 200 to 400 to 600 Afghans are killed every day, who will benefit from this?” Ghani asked.

“The Afghan government has made lots of efforts to move the peace process forward and wants peace, but the Taliban continued violence,” Ghani said. “They (Taliban) should attend talks and don’t ruin their country with the dictation of outsiders.”

He mentioned that the fighting has not been lost on the battlefields, but it has been due to rumors and propaganda, indirectly referring to the recent loss of territory by Afghan forces to the Taliban.

“I call on all Afghans to become united like the Khost residents and stand firm; otherwise, you will be responsible for six generations,” Ghani added.

The ongoing civil war in Afghanistan has intensified following US and other NATO nations’ decision to withdraw troops that had been stationed in the landlocked mountainous country for 20 years to fight against forces of terrorism

(SAM)