The United States on Thursday (May 14) blamed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militantsnot the Talebanfor a gruesome hospital attack in Afghanistan this week that killed two newborn babies, and it renewed calls for Afghans to embrace a troubled peace push with the Taleban insurgency.
However, it was unclear if the US declaration would be enough to bolster the peace effort and reverse a decision by the Kabul government to resume offensive operations against the Taleban.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered the military on Tuesday to switch to "offensive mode" against the Taleban following the hospital attack in Kabul and a suicide bombing in garhar province that killed scores of people.
US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad blamed ISIS for both attacks in a statement issued on Twitter, saying the group opposed any Taleban peace agreement and sought to trigger an Iraq-style sectarian war in Afghanistan.
"Rather than falling into the ISIS trap and delay peace or create obstacles, Afghans must come together to crush this menace and pursue a historic peace opportunity," Mr Khalilzad said. "No more excuses. Afghans, and the world, deserve better."
An affiliate of the ISIS militant group claimed responsibility for the garhar bombing, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. No one has claimed the hospital attack.
The Taleban denied involvement in either attacks, however, the government accused the group of fostering an environment in which terrorism thrives or of working with other militant groups who could have been involved, straining US efforts to bring the insurgents and Afghan government together.
The attacks were another setback to US President Donald Trump's stalled plans to bring peace to Afghanistan and end America's longest war.
A Feb 29 US-Taleban deal called for a phased US troop withdrawal and for the Afghan government and Taleban to release some prisoners by March 10, when peace talks were to start.
Intra-Afghan peace talks have yet to occur and there is some bitterness within the Afghan government, which was not a party to the Feb 29 deal, that the United States undercut their leverage by negotiating directly with the Taleban.
Mr Ghani's decision to revive offensive operations is supported by several opposition figures, who believe Washington's sole focus is to keep the US troop withdrawal plan on track to help Mr Trump win another term in the Nov 3 US presidential election.