Afghan president: We have plan to restore stability in country in six months

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani says Kabul has a plan to restore stability in the country in six months despite the fast-deteriorating security situation.

“The current situation is due to a sudden decision on the withdrawal of the international troops,” Ghani told the parliament in a speech he delivered on Monday, Afghanistan’s TOLO news agency reported.

Afghanistan has had “an unexpected situation” during the past three months, he said. “This aggression and war has been imposed on us.”

Under a deal with the Taliban, which was signed in 2020, the United States has pulled out most of its troops from Afghanistan.

Ghani said Afghans “have paid a high price for peace and showed great gentleness, but instead war was imposed on us.” He was indirectly referring to the release of the 5,000 Taliban prisoners by the government as part of the peace process.

He also denounced that process as an “imported” and “hasty” one imposed on Kabul that had resulted in “legitimizing an insurgent group instead of achieving peace.”

However, Ghani assured the Afghan nation that the situation would change in the next six months and the government would bring everything under control due to the security plan. “The army is defending strategic goals and the police are defending the cities.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the president urged the National Assembly and the political leaders to work for unity. Ghani stressed that it was the “only way toward our victory” against the Taliban militants, who are “not committed to any values.”

The Taliban would not move toward peace unless the deteriorating security situation was curbed, Ghani said.