Afghan President: Pakistan Should Fight Taliban, Not Bring Them To Talks

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani has called on Pakistan to battle the Taliban rather than try to bring them into peace talks.

Ghani made the remarks during a speech to parliament on April 25, a week after a Taliban assault in Kabul killed 64 people and wounded another 340.

Ghani said Kabul no longer expects Islamabad to bring Afghanistan’s Taliban to peace talks in Pakistan, adding that Pakistan should launch a military operation “against those whose leaders are based in Pakistan and are known by Pakistan to be there.”

Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to Afghan Taliban thought to be based in Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and the United States have been trying to revive peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban in recent months, but have made little progress.

With reporting by AP

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