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Taliban, Afghan government agree to cease-fire to mark end of Ramadan Taliban, Afghan government agree to cease-fire to mark end of Ramadan
(about 11 hours later)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Afghan government and the Taliban have agreed to a three-day cease-fire to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The announcement comes after weeks of escalating violence in Afghanistan as peace talks between the government and the Taliban have stalled. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — U.S. officials are hopeful a three-day cease-fire between the Taliban and the Afghan government can resuscitate talks between the two parties and keep the fragile U.S.-Taliban peace deal on track. But the pause in hostilities follows weeks of escalating violence that has deepened mistrust on all sides.
The only other time the Taliban agreed to a cease-fire was to mark the same Eid al-Fitr holiday in 2018. Celebrations broke out across the country during the cessation of violence in the nearly two-decade long conflict. "This presents a tremendous opportunity for Afghans to overcome other obstacles and move urgently to intra Afghan negotiations that end the war," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Sunday.
The Taliban announcement late Saturday ordered its fighters to cease all offensive operations so Afghans can “spend Eid with happiness.” The statement noted that defensive attacks were permitted, and Taliban fighters were barred from traveling to government-held territory. The cease-fire, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, comes as Afghanistan is stuck in a deadly limbo. Talks between the Afghan government and Taliban have repeatedly hit stumbling blocks and clashes have intensified. Commanders on the ground have warned of mounting casualties among their troops and human rights organizations say civilian casualties are spiking.
The Taliban announced the cease-fire for Eid al-Fitr late Saturday, and within hours Afghan president Ashraf Ghani ordered his forces to comply. The Taliban said offensive operations were halted so Afghans can "spend Eid with happiness" but said defensive attacks were permitted. Taliban fighters were barred from traveling to government-held territory.
Shortly after the announcement, U.S. special representative Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted, "this is a momentous opportunity that should not be missed."
The only other time the Taliban agreed to a cease-fire was to mark the same Eid al-Fitr holiday in 2018. Celebrations broke out across the country during the first cessation of violence in the nearly two-decade-long conflict, but the fighting resumed soon after.
Taliban attacks in Afghanistan surge after U.S. peace deal, inflicting heavy casualtiesTaliban attacks in Afghanistan surge after U.S. peace deal, inflicting heavy casualties
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the cease-fire shortly after the Taliban statement, ordering all his security forces to comply. When the United States and the Taliban signed their peace deal, U.S. officials said it would reduce bloodshed. But violence has only intensified and civilian casualties have increased. The U.S. withdrawal from the country is continuing on schedule, according to the U.S. military command in Kabul, despite U.S. and Taliban officials trading accusations that the other side has violated the agreement.
Afghanistan has been stuck in a deadly limbo since the signing of the peace deal between the Taliban and the United States in February. Talks that were supposed to begin between the Taliban and the Afghan government have repeatedly hit snags and on the battlefield the violence has escalated resulting in record high civilian casualties. In addition to continued violence, another major stumbling block to the start of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban has been a controversial prisoner swap.
U.S. special representative Zalmay Khalilzad is hoping this cease-fire could help turn that around. “This is a momentous opportunity that should not be missed,” Khalilzad tweeted Saturday, and said he hoped it would rejuvenate the peace process. “As a responsible government, we want to take one further step besides declaring a cease-fire; we will expedite the release process of the Taliban prisoners,” Ghani said in a televised address Sunday, hours before his government announced the release of up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture. He had halted prisoner releases when he resumed offensive operations against the Taliban this month.
One of the major stumbling blocks to the start of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban has been a controversial prisoner swap. And in a televised address Sunday, Ghani said in addition to observing the Eid cease-fire, he would begin releasing Taliban prisoners again. A brutal attack on a Kabul maternity ward influenced Ghani’s decision to resume offensive operations. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Afghan government officials blamed the Taliban.
“As a responsible government, we want to take one further step besides declaring a cease-fire; we will expedite the release process of the Taliban prisoners,” he said. Ghani had previously halted prisoner releases earlier this month when he resumed offensive operations against the Taliban. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the Eid cease-fire was declared primarily so Afghan families can celebrate the holiday in peace. But it “may also help restore confidence,” he added, referring to talks with the Afghan government.
In the lead up to the Eid al-Fitr holiday, human rights groups were warning that civilians were increasingly bearing the brunt of increased violence in Afghanistan. “What many of us feel is an utter sense of exhaustion & grief, and anger at being caught in the middle of senseless & intensifying conflict,” tweeted Shaharzad Akbar, the chairwoman of Afghanistan’s human rights commission, last week. The Taliban rejected previous calls to reduce violence or agree to a cease-fire to help the country respond to its coronavirus outbreak.
The Taliban rejected previous calls to reduce violence or agree to a cease-fire to facilitate the response to the coronavirus pandemic in Afghanistan. But in the lead-up to the signing of the peace deal with the United States in February the Taliban agreed to a week-long reduction in violence that largely held nationwide. Violence during that period was reduced by 80 percent, fostering a rare atmosphere of hope in Afghanistan that halting decades of conflict was possible.
But in the lead up to the signing of the peace deal with the United States in February the Taliban agreed to a week-long reduction in violence that largely held nationwide. Violence during that period was reduced around 80 percent and fostered a rare atmosphere of hope in Afghanistan that it could be possible to halt decades of conflict. Human rights groups have warned that if violence between the Afghan government and the Taliban continues, civilians are likely to bear an increasing burden. “What many of us feel is an utter sense of exhaustion & grief, and anger at being caught in the middle of senseless & intensifying conflict,” tweeted Shaharzad Akbar, the chairwoman of Afghanistan’s human rights commission.
Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan contributed.
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Brutal attack on mothers and newborns prompts Afghanistan to resume offensive operations against TalibanBrutal attack on mothers and newborns prompts Afghanistan to resume offensive operations against Taliban
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