Russian invasion in Ukraine shocks Taliban as group calls for peace and 'restraint'

dailystar.co.uk:

Ukraine even shocked the Taliban - who called for peace. The regime which massacred swathes of innocent people as it stormed to power in Afghanistan said it was worried about the real possibility of civilian casualties in the Russian invasion.

Now calling itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan the militant group went on Twitter to demand a ceasefire. Under the seal of the Emirate's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it called for peace talks to safeguard Afghans in Ukraine.

The Taliban has yet to be recognised by any country as Afghanistan's new government since its brutal takeover in August. Its foreign ministry posted its statement concerning the crisis in Ukraine’ which was shared online by key Taliban figures.The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and expresses concern about real possibility of civilian casualties,’’ the statement said.

The Islamic Emirate calls for restraint by both parties.All sides need to desist from taking positions that could intensify violence.The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in line with its foreign policy of neutrality, calls on both sides of the conflict to resolve the crisis through dialogue and peaceful means."The Islamic Emirate also calls on parties to the conflict to pay attention to safeguarding the lives of Afghan students and migrants in Ukraine.’’According to estimates over 1,000 civilians were killed and 2,000 injured when the Taliban captured Afghanistan last year.A further 1,500 Afghan forces were killed, while the now-defunct government claimed to have killed nearly 10,000 Taliban militants.