KABUL – Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has urged the Taliban groupand other militants to respect the Holy Month of Ramadan and refrain fromviolence.

In a video message released on the occasion of the Holy Month of Ramadan,President Ghani said he expects that the Taliban and other armed militantsdo not spread chaos and instability for the worshippers during the HolyMonth of Ramadan.

The UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan TadamachiYamamoto also urged the militants to halt fighting.

“I sincerely hope that the observation of Ramadan will provide anopportunity for all communities in Afghanistan to come closer to each otherand build bridges peacefully. In the same spirit, I would like to callparties to the conflict to respect this religious obligation and halt thefighting,” Tadamachi said in a statement.

He also added that the United Nations in Afghanistan remains committed tostand with the people of Afghanistan in their quest for a peaceful, unitedand prosperous Afghanistan.