KABUL -- In a speech on October 15 to mark the occasion of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged Taliban militants to stop fighting and join the peace process.
Karzai called on Taliban leaders and fighters "not to kill and destroy the dear young people of Afghanistan."
The Afghan president's Eid address came after Taliban leader Mullah Omar released his own Eid message on October 14 in which he warned the Afghan government not to sign a security deal with the United States, which he called a "colonial agreement."
Omar also said the Taliban would not participate in any peace talks unless the negotiations were held in Qatar, where the Taliban opened a political office in June.
Karzai called on Taliban leaders and fighters "not to kill and destroy the dear young people of Afghanistan."
The Afghan president's Eid address came after Taliban leader Mullah Omar released his own Eid message on October 14 in which he warned the Afghan government not to sign a security deal with the United States, which he called a "colonial agreement."
Omar also said the Taliban would not participate in any peace talks unless the negotiations were held in Qatar, where the Taliban opened a political office in June.