Ghani Seeks Re-Election to End War as Taliban Tightens Grip

  • Poll will end Afghanistan’s four decades of ‘inherited crises’
  • Russia a ‘partner’ in peace talks, despite U.S. reticence
Taliban Must Make Decision on Talks, Afghan President Says
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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has revealed he is seeking re-election next year to “finish the job” of bringing to an end the 17-year war that’s maimed and killed tens of thousands of people and cost the U.S. more than $900 billion.

The Taliban and other terrorist groups are trying “to turn our beautiful country into a breeding ground of violence,” Ghani, 69, said in an interview on Thursday in his office in Kabul, adorned with a huge portrait of an 18th century king widely regarded as the founder of Afghanistan. "We have to pursue peace, a lasting, just and sustainable peace."