Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani has expressed sympathy for the Taliban, saying his heart breaks when he sees the group suffering casualties.

“It is not just that my heart breaks for the security forces who are true heroes, but also for the Taliban. They are Afghans and I am the president of all of Afghanistan," Ghani said in an interview with a U.S.-based broadcaster.
The president said that the ceasefire in June proved that Afghanistan is moving toward peace.
“The ceasefire showed that this country is ready for reconciliation,” Ghani said. “We are offering to overcome the past grievances and move forward and this I think is genuine because if they insist on a military victory that’s something the Afghans will not accept.”
This comes as the Taliban has rejected the government’s offer of peace talks, saying it would talk directly to the U.S.