UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of talks between the warring parties after the recent Taliban attacks on Ghazni of Afghanistan.
In a statement through his spokesperson, Guterres said Wednesday evening there can be no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and called for a peaceful settlement of the ongoing conflict.
He urged the warring parties to "do everything feasible" to ensure that no civilians are further killed or injured, and to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance for Ghazni.
In a surprise move, Taliban militants launched multi-pronged attacks on strategically important Ghazni, the capital of eastern Ghazni province over the weekend.
The attack came amid the Afghan government's efforts to bring the armed outfit to negotiations.
About 150 civilians were killed or injured while some 150 security force members and 500 Taliban militants lost their lives in the prolonged fighting.
On Wednesday, the Afghan Ministry of Defence said peace and normalcy has returned to Ghazni after the government forces' massive operation supported by war planes and helicopters repelling the militants.
