New York, Sep 22 (UNI) Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani in his UN address emphasised the importance of multilateralism in addressing the challenges that continue to impact Afghanistan and the world.
The Afghan president appealed to the international community to help the Afghan people achieve the goal of a united and democratic Afghanistan. “I would like to take this opportunity to call on every member of the GA and the P5 to help us achieve the end state of a sovereign, united and democratic Afghanistan, at peace with itself and the region, capable of preserving and expanding the gains of the last 19 years."
Ghani implored the international community to do their bit for bringing about a ceasefire in Afghanistan "Though we are facing multiple drivers of turmoil all at once in Afghanistan, there is a clear and urgent priority for us: a ceasefire. An urgent end to the violence will, more than anything else, give us a chance to progress."
President Ghani felt that stabilising Afghanistan could have an overall positive impact in stabilising that region "Afghanistan is a country positioned right at the heart of Asia, right at the heart of untapped potential that could bring prosperity and peace to our region. But this means that we are also right in the middle of the turmoil that is affecting us all today."
Though the Afghan government and the Taliban are currently engaged in the peace process through the dialogues in Doha, violence by the Taliban has not abated, Tolonews quoted a security source saying that an average of 30 security force members have been killed daily in Taliban attacks over the past two weeks.
The past 24 hours witnessed the deaths of at least 50 security force members in clashes with the Taliban.
These attacks have taken a significant civilian toll as well, statistics by the Ministry of Interior Affairs show that at least 98 civilians were killed and 230 others were injured in these Taliban attacks over the past 24 hours.