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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Truck-rickshaw collision in Bihar kills three people, injures three others
Patna: A speeding truck rammed into an auto rickshaw carrying passengers near the Pragati Petrol pump within the jurisdiction limits of the Chhabilapur Police Station of Nalanda district on Wednesday, resulting in the death of three people on the spot and three others being grievously injured.
The deceased are identified as Kanchan Devi, Dilip Kumar and Bindi Prasad. The injured individuals, Priyanka Devi, Rinki Devi and Ravi Ranjan Kumar, were initially treated at the Rajgir sub-divisional hospital, but, as their condition was critical, they were shifted to the Pawapuri Medical College and Hospital, as advised by the doctors at the Rajgir hospital. While the medical report states that the condition of all the injured is stable, the incident has caused immense distress among their families.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Sunil Kumar Singh, Sub-divisional Police officer Kumar Omkeshwar, Inspector Sanjay Kumar and Chhabilapur and Rajgir Police Station inspectors visited the hospital and inquired about the three people injured in the accident, reports NDTV, adding that the police are investigating the case.
Sanjay Kumar, SHO of the Chhabilapur Police Station, said that they have registered a case against the driver of the truck for rash and negligent driving. The officer added that the driver was absconding since the accident occurred.
The victims were traveling in an auto rickshaw from Rajgir to Barnaussa on Wednesday, when the accident occurred. The eye-witnesses have called the truck-rickshaw collision as severe, adding that it gave rise to chaos and panic at the accident site.
The accident highlights the persistent problem of reckless driving on Bihar's roads, which frequently results in major casualties, including fatalities. The families of the people affected by the accidents have been urging swift justice and proper support for the victims. The local administration has assured to implement necessary measures to ensure safety of road users and bring those responsible for the accident to justice.
