Off the wire
• Somali president says to receive refugees from Kenya's Dadaab camp  • JSE closes in red  • Roundup: UN calls for global action to protect health of oceans  • Britain extends deadline for EU vote registration  • Sharapova to appeal two-year suspension over doping use  • Gender-based violence increases in Zambia in Q1: police  • EU member states agree to overhaul prospectus rules for European entrepreneurs  • Bank of Portugal cuts growth forecast to 1.3 pct in 2016  • Poaching in S. Sudan reaches alarming levels: experts  • Southwest monsoon arrives in southern India  
You are here: 　 Home

Roundup: Afghan Taliban speed up activities in Ramadan as violence continues

Xinhua, June 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

Taliban militants fighting the government to regain power have intensified activities since beginning Ramadan, the Muslim holy month commenced on Monday, majority of Afghans believe.

Ramadan, according to Afghan Ulema or religious scholars is the month of peace, brotherhood and reconciliation.

In their sermons, nowadays the Ulema, calling upon the Taliban fighters to cease hostility or at least observe ceasefire throughout the month of Ramadan, allowing faithful to do their worships.

Although, the Taliban outfit has yet to response to the government-backed Ulema, Taliban fighters are of the view that Ramadan is the month of Jihad or holy war to intensify activities against non-believers.

Based on their harsh interpretation of Islam, the militants, according to observers, have intensified activities with the start of Ramadan and on the first of day of the holy month on Monday conducted a bloody attack in Sangcharak district of northern Saripul province killing seven persons including two security personnel.

On the second day of Ramadan, the armed Taliban fighters executed 12 of their hostages in Kamawal village of Andar district in the eastern Ghazni province, according to local officials.

Spokesman for Ghazni provincial administration Jawed Salangi confirmed that the militants shot them dead publicly on charge of cooperation with the government.

The armed militants on Wednesday, the third day of Ramadan, besides organizing a bomb blast in the eastern Nangarhar province, also intercepted a passenger and kidnapped 47 passengers on the highway connecting Takhar to the northern Kunduz province, police said.

Six Taliban fighters were killed on Wednesday as their explosive device went off prematurely in the northern Jauzjan province, according to police.

"Islam is a religion of peace and brotherhood but the hardliner Taliban fighters have wrong perception from Islam and under the excuse of defending Islam the militants virtually defaming the sacred Islam and noble Muslims," a religious scholar told Xinhua but refused to be identified due to security concerns. Endit