Saudi Arabia to host OIC peace conference on Afghanistan

KABUL: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an international conference of Islamic scholars in Makkah and Madina from 8 to 10th of October to promote peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

This was said by OIC Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madani during a meeting with Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Foreign Minister Syed Salahuddin Rabbani in Kabul.The conference is a good opportunity for Ulema to debate and make a decision about the ongoing un-Islamic war and brutalities in light of the Islamic injunctions, Dr Abdullah said.

The Taliban have rejected the conference and urged scholars from Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia and other countries to stay away from the conference as it would give a legitimate face to the Kabul regime.

This is the first time since the collapse of the Taliban regime and the US-led invasion that the OIC has taken any concrete steps to promote peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

The Taliban stepped up its fight against the government and captured a key district in Kunduz province before it was retaken by government forces. Earlier this month, the Taliban surrounded the capital of Helmand province before being stopped by Afghan forces supported by US air strikes.This came as Afghan troops are stretched on multiple fronts across Afghanistan including eastern Nangarhar province where the Islamic State group is making inroads.