Taliban Turns Down Afghan President’s Offer to Take Part in Elections – Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Taliban radical movement has rejected the offer of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to participate in Afghanistan’s parliamentary and local elections, TOLO broadcaster reported.

The Taliban* slammed the upcoming elections, saying that only those who are approved by the United States could gain power in the country, while also claiming that people have been "cheated" at the previous vote, according to the TOLO broadcaster.

The radical group also urged the Afghan nation to boycott the elections and noted that the country is "occupied" by foreign forces.

Afghani President Ashraf Ghani unveiled his plans to launch peace talks with the Taliban, starting with a truce and possibly ending with the movement's recognition as a party and their participation in elections in February. In return, the Taliban would have to recognize the current Afghan government and constitution, which proved to be a stumbling block in the past attempts to negotiate.

The upcoming elections in Afghanistan are slated for October, while the registration of candidates started on April 14.

READ MORE: At Least 11 Pro-Gov't Paramilitaries Killed by Taliban in Afghanistan — Reports

Afghanistan has long been suffering from political, social and security instability due to the activity of the Taliban and the Daesh* terrorist groups. To address this issue, the international community has hosted a number of conferences to attempt to achieve peace in the war-ravaged country.

*Taliban and Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) are terrorist groups banned in Russia