KABUL – The Taliban group on Monday announced its opposition with all theongoing efforts and movements aimed at paving the way for peace andreconciliation.

The group issued a statement amid growing calls on domestic andinternational level for the launch of talks for peace and reconciliation.

Calling the ongoing efforts and calls for peace the same ‘old Americanconspiracy’, the group claims new movements have taken shape under theguise of neutral public and tribal moves to suppress the ongoing holy war‘Jihad’ and to strengthen the occupation of the United States.

Taliban also claims that all moves aimed at strengthening and paving theway for the occupation of the US occupation are against the interests ofthe nation and the country.

The group went on to claim that such movements that brand the ongoing holywar ‘Jihad’ as an intra-Afghan conflict and fratricidal war, are againstthe interests of Afghanistan and the nation.

The latest statement was apparently issued in response to the Helmand peacemarch activists’ call for peace and reconciliation.

The Helmand peace march activists issued a statement on Saturday after theTaliban group failed to respond to their demands regarding peace, despitethe group was given three days to respond regarding the ongoing efforts forpeace.

The statement further added that the Hemand peace march is an independentmovement which has risen from among the people and the activists of themovement walked all the way from Helmand to Kabul, covering almost 700kilometers, in support of peace.

The Helmand peace march activists have repeatedly shared their demands withthe parties involved in the ongoing conflict, the statement, said, addingthat their demands were publicly accepted by President Mohammad AshrafGhani and subsequently announced the government’s willingness to extendceasefire for another one month.