KABUL - A group of activists are walking from Helmand to Kabul in the name of peace.
The Helmand peace convoy arrived in Ghazni province on Friday where they were welcomed warmly by a big crowd.
The peace activists, who have since left Ghazni city, said they will make their way to Wardak province and from there to Kabul.
The Helmand peace activists started their journey from southern Helmand last month. They aim to call on the Afghan government and Taliban to call for a ceasefire and to once-and-for all end the war.
The group of eight started their long walk to Kabul on May 13 and have been joined by more people in the provinces they have already crossed.
“Allah is merciful, Allah may help you gain your objectives. Allah may hear the voice of the oppressed people,” a resident of Ghazni said while welcoming the convoy.
The convoy members said they were warmly welcomed by Ghazni residents.
“We were welcomed unexpectedly. Thousands of people came out. The religious scholars said in public that this is the voice of justice and the ongoing war in the country should stop,” a member of the convoy said.
The convoy members said their next stop is Wardak province and from there they will head to Kabul so as to make sure the world hears their calls for peace.
“We will go from house to house, village to village and province to province to make sure all the provinces know our move and the world hears our voice,” another member of the convoy said.
The Helmand peace activists first started a sit-in protest in the province against the ongoing war after a deadly car bombing outside a sports stadium in Lashkargah city killed at least 16 people. (Tolo news)