KANDAHAR: Young people from northern Kandahar province have called on the warring parties to end hostilities and the killing of Afghans by determining a specific deadline for agreeing on a truce in the ongoing second round of intra-Afghan talks. 
At a gathering in Kandahar city, the provincial capital, Hekmat Salihi, an organizer of the meeting, said a ceasefire was the masses’ primary demand who were exhausted and devasted by the ongoing war. 
“We, the people of Kandahar, have been evicted from our homes, which are being bombarded every day, as we happen to live in warzones. We want a truce announced as soon as possible so that we can enjoy peace.” 
The call for a ceasefire comes as a survey conducted in five provinces of the south-west zone revealed that at least 1,330 people, including civilians, police and Taliban militants, have been killed. 
Referring to this spike in casualties, a participant of the gathering Hekmatullah Afghan said that their villages and houses were full of corpses and dead bodies, and thus they were longing for an armistice between the sides. 
“Our education system, our culture, and even our day-to-day affairs have been affected by war. We cannot continue our normal daily activities,” he lamented. 
It’s pertinent to mention that the republican and Taliban negotiators started the second round of peace talks aimed at finalizing the agenda on January 06, but their negotiations have so far resulted in no significant results.