Taliban rejects Afghan government's peace offer, announces spring offensive
Kabul, April 25: The Taliban on Wednesday announced the start of the new spring offensive, rejecting a proposal for dialogue from the Afghan government, describing it as an attempt to "cheat and conspire".
The militant group said in a statement that the fresh offensive "was partly a response to US President Donald Trump's new strategy announced in August that paved the way for the deployment of thousands of more foreign troops in Afghanistan", Khaama Press reported.
The Taliban said that "'Operation Al-Khandaq' will kick off across the country from Wednesday under which they will continue attacks on the Afghan and foreign forces, with "American invaders and their intelligence agents" as the primary target.
It also warned Afghans to stay away from the compounds of the foreign, Afghan forces as well as the convoys. The Taliban also slammed the government initiative launched on February 28 in which President Ashraf Ghani offered them peace talks "without preconditions", along with political recognition, issuing passports, relocation of their families and a release of prisoners.
It was the most ambitious proposal so far from the government to the Taliban. The militant group called the Afghan government's efforts "nothing but a conspiracy orchestrated by the foreign occupiers for enervating, crushing and eventually pacifying the ongoing legitimate Afghan resistance".
The militant organisation, which made an offer for dialogue to the US government in January, accused Washington of having "no serious or sincere intentions of bringing the war to an end".
"Rather they want to intensify and prolong it (the war) by engulfing Afghanistan as well as the whole region in its flames, thus securing chances of their further influence and interference," the Taliban said.
Since the formal end of NATO's combat mission in January 2015, the Afghan government has been steadily losing ground to insurgents and now controls only 57 per cent of the country, according to the US Special Inspector General for Reconstruction of Afghanistan.
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Indian Army sets up 100-bed COVID Care Centre in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, May 22: The Indian Army has chipped in to fight against the pandemic by setting up a 100-bed Covid Care Centre at Ulsoor here.
The Karnataka State administration took on the responsibility of providing medical staff and equipment and the Army joined in with administrative support for maintaining high standards at the facility and ensuring best possible patient care, the Army said in a statement.
The Covid Care Centre would cater to mild symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid patients referred by BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) after bed allotment.
On Saturday, Major General J V Prasad, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub-Area, handed over the facility to the State administration in presence of State Housing Minister V Somanna, BJP MP P C Mohan, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, and civic agency Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta.
Today a 100-bed COVID care center for Shivajinagar Assembly residents was set up by the Indian Army on the premises of Kendriya Vidyalaya on St. Johns Road.
— Rizwan Arshad (@ArshadRizwan) May 22, 2021
MEG and Centre will provide 24/7 medical care with the support of @unitedsikhs who will aid the medical infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/XUtbFtoJFz
Inaugurated a dedicated COVID care center for Shivajinagar Assembly at the Kendriya Vidyalaya on St. Johns Road.
— Rizwan Arshad (@ArshadRizwan) May 22, 2021
The event was attended by Housing minister @ShriVSomanna, @PCMohanMP, Major General JV Prasad - General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala, @BBMPCOMM along with pic.twitter.com/kidLg8dt64
