A group of 24 peace activists who marched through Taliban-controlled Musa Qala district in volatile Helmand province said the group rejected their call for a ceasefire as they see it in favor of foreign forces in Afghanistan.

The activists who stayed in Taliban territory for five days said the Taliban told them that “peace is not possible without a timeline for foreign forces withdrawal”.

Earlier reports indicated that the peace activists were detained by the Taliban, but later the peace marchers rejected the reports and said they held talks with the Taliban on issues around peace.

“They (Taliban) said that if they announce a ceasefire, it will give a chance to the Americans to use the time and intensify the war. They (Taliban) said they will make peace, but first the occupation should end,” said Iqbal Khyber, head of the People’s Peace Movement.

Khyber added that “the Taliban insisted that an intra-Afghan dialogue is impossible without a timetable for troop withdrawal”.

He said the activists were hosted by the Taliban and that the rumors in social media which claimed they were abducted by the group, had hardened the situation for them.

Another member of the peace movement, Ghulam Sarwar Ghaffari, said the Taliban did not have a reason for rejecting the peace activists’ demand for a ceasefire.

“Ultimately, they (Taliban) said they will pass on our message to the Islamic emirate and asked us to make contact with (Taliban’s) Qatar office,” Ghaffari said.

Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire last year in June, but they refrained to make a similar decision this year.

The People’s Peace Movement, also called the Helmand Peace Convoy, and initially started their activities when a group of at least a dozen activists staged a protest in Lashkargah City last year in March 2018 against an attack that killed around 16 people that month.

About a month later, the activists left Helmand on foot for Kabul.

The activists walked through towns and villages, crossed provinces and met with local residents along the way. For 38 days, they walked and as they progressed, so their numbers grew.

About 700kms later, the group of eight had grown to an estimated 100. They arrived in Kabul on June 18 and handed over demands for a ceasefire and peace to both the Afghan government and the Taliban.

During their stay in Kabul, they held sit-in protests outside diplomatic offices in Kabul. They also met with President Ghani on a Kabul street where they asked him to accelerate the peace efforts.

The activists, whose ages ranged from 17 to 65, came from all walks of life and include students, athletes and farmers among others. It was these and other activists that then extended their walk from Kabul to Balkh.