Kabul: The Afghan Ministry of Defense said that Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) repelled scores of attacks initiated by the Taliban in 15 provinces over the past 24 hours.

“Tens of Taliban attacks were repelled and shut-down--the Taliban suffered heavy setbacks,” said Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Defense.

Kunar, Nuristan, Nangarhar, Maidan Wardak, Paktia, Paktika, Logar, Kandahar, Badghis, Farah, Faryab, Balkh, Helmand, Nimroz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Takhar and Kunduz are among the provinces where ANDSF faced off with the Taliban and dealt major blows to the insurgents, said the Defense Ministry.

Meanwhile, Roland Kobia, the EU’s special envoy to Afghanistan has said that Ramadan must be the month of peace, not increased violence.

He said that the killing and wounding of 66 civilians by the Taliban in the first week of Ramadan is a concerning issue.

Despite calls on the international level, the Taliban have increased attacks on Afghan forces.

According to the Ministry of Interior, last night the Taliban launched a brazen attack on a checkpoint of government forces in the Noorak area of Zabul province, which resulted in the death of "18 Taliban fighters."

“Unfortunately, the Taliban have increased violence during the holy month of Ramadan, but whenever they tried to plot an attack, the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces dealt major blows to the group,” said Tariq Aryan, a spokesman to the Ministry of Interior.

“ (The Taliban) neither respect Ramadan nor the coronavirus, while on the other side there is poverty,” said MP Baktash Eshchi.

“The Taliban and the government should address the voice of the people for a ceasefire so that there is an end to the killings,” said MP Nazeefa Yousufi.

Despite hopes among Afghans that the peace deal between the US and the Taliban will lead to a reduction in the level of violence, nothing changed on the ground.

“Ceasefire is a fundamental issue, it is also an important demand of the Afghan people and the international community, the Taliban must surrender to this demand,” said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman to President Ashraf Ghani.

The Taliban previously rejected the Afghan government’s call for a ceasefire, citing violations in the peace agreement that the group signed with the US on February 29 in Doha.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/andsf-repels-scores-taliban-attacks-past-24-hours-mod