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Kabul reached truce deal with Taliban under US, Pakistan pressure: Journalist

Monday, 20 August 2018 5:48 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 20 August 2018 6:13 AM ]

In this photo taken on June 16, 2018, Afghan Taliban militants ride a motorbike as they take to the streets to celebrate a ceasefire on the second day of Eid in the outskirts of Jalalabad. (By AFP)

The United States and Pakistan have been putting pressure on the Afghan government to reach a ceasefire agreement with the Taliban militant group, says a commentator.

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday announced a ceasefire agreement with the Taliban to mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, an Islamic festival.

Shobhan Saxena, journalist and political commentator, told Press TV on Monday, that Ghani had made the announcement under “immense pressure from Pakistan and the US.”

“These (Pakistan and US) are the two countries, which will benefit from the rehabilitation of Taliban in Afghanistan,” said Saxena, adding that the group was created by Pakistan in the 1990s, while the US government had all kinds of dealings with the militant group.