Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday asked the Taliban to utilize the opportunity for peace created by the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country, reported TOLOnews. 

“The Taliban will not have a better chance for peace than this as international forces are leaving the country,” he said after attending an Eid prayer in the Presidential Palace in Kabul today. People, he added, will embrace the Taliban. 

“Today, the region looks at Afghanistan as an opportunity,” he said, terming the foreign troops’ withdrawal a “great opportunity.” He further claimed the Republic is united and open to all.  Hamid Karzai, the former Afghan president, and Abdullah Abdullah, the chief peace negotiator, also attended the Eid prayers there.

Ghani’s comment came in the backdrop of the Taliban’s refusal to attend the Turkey Conference, leaving no option for its sponsors but to delay that. 

He also accused the group of continuing suicide bombings, targeted attacks that are killing civilians. Over 70 people, mostly children, have been killed in a car bomb attack recently that targeted a girls’ school in capital Kabul.

Mentioning his recent meeting with Pakistan Army chief General Bajwa, he claimed that even Pakistan doesn’t want an Islamic emirate in Afghanistan. He also hoped that soon there would be a consensus in the region on Afghanistan.