KABUL -- The Taliban in a statement Sunday night (April 15) rejected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's call for the militant group to participate in upcoming parliamentary and district council elections, TOLOnews reported.
The Taliban also called on the public to boycott the elections, which are scheduled for October 20.
The Taliban statement came after Ghani launched the voter registration process Saturday (April 14) in Kabul. Speaking at the event, he called on the Taliban to pursue peace talks and take part in the polls as a political group.
Authorities hope to register as many as 14 million Afghan citizens at more than 7,000 polling centres over the next two months, AFP reported. The elections, originally scheduled for October 2015, have been repeatedly delayed for security and other reasons.
