Taliban say ‘no ceasefire plans’ for Afghanistan

KABUL: The Taliban on Monday denied agreeing to any ceasefire in Afghanistan after rumours swirled of a potential deal that would see a reduction in fighting after more than 18 years of war.

"In the past few days, some media have been releasing untrue reports about a ceasefire... The fact is that, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has no ceasefire plans," the Taliban said in a statement.

A US news agency had earlier reported that the Afghan Taliban’s ruling council had agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the war-torn country. The agency had cited an anonymous source as saying that a 'four-member negotiating team' had agreed to the ceasefire after week-long deliberations.

The clarification from the Taliban comes as local and international forces brace for another bloody winter amid US-Taliban talks to end the violence in Afghanistan. Deadly bouts of fighting have continued even as Washington negotiates with the militants in a bid to reduce America’s military footprint in the country, in return for the insurgents ensuring an improved security situation. Afghanistan is also struggling with an ongoing political dispute after officials announced preliminary results in the latest presidential elections that put President Ashraf Ghani on track to secure a second term. Elections authorities have yet to declare the results as final after receiving more than 16,000 complaints about the polls, with the ultimate tally expected in the coming weeks. The Taliban have long viewed Ghani as an American stooge and have refused to negotiate with his government, leading many to fear that fighting against Afghan forces will continue even if the US secures an eventual deal with the militants to withdraw.