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Major step towards peace in Afghanistan: Downturn visible in violence by Taliban

By Agencies
February 22, 2020

By Mariana Baabar

KABUL: The US and the Taliban are set to sign a historic agreement that would pave the way to ending America’s longest war, the bitter foes announced Friday, hours after Kabul said a week-long partial truce across Afghanistan would kick off this weekend.

If that so-called "reduction in violence" holds, it would mark a major turning point in the gruelling conflict and set the conditions for a deal that could, ultimately, pull US troops out after more than 18 years and launch Afghanistan into an uncertain future.

Both US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Taliban issued statements saying they had agreed to sign the accord on February 29 in Doha, following the one-week partial truce. "Upon a successful implementation of this understanding, signing of the US-Taliban agreement is expected to move forward," Pompeo said, adding that negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government would "start soon thereafter".

Afghanistan´s National Security Council spokesman Javed Faisal and Taliban sources earlier said the "reduction in violence" between US, Taliban and Afghan security forces would begin today (Saturday).

The United States has been in talks with the Taliban for more than a year to secure a deal in which it would pull out thousands of troops in return for Taliban security guarantees and a promise to hold peace talks with the government in Kabul.

A reduction in violence would show the Taliban can control their forces and demonstrate good faith ahead of any signing, which would see the Pentagon withdraw about half of the 12,000-13,000 troops currently in Afghanistan. In a statement, the Taliban said warring parties would "create a suitable security situation" ahead of a deal signing. One Taliban source in Pakistan said that if an agreement was signed on February 29, talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, needed to cement a broader peace deal, would be slated to start on March 10.

The announcement was hailed by the international community, with Nato saying the deal could make way for "sustainable peace" in Afghanistan, while Russia labelled it an "important event" for the ending the war.

Pakistan, which helped facilitate the talks between the US and the militants, also welcomed the news.

In southern Kandahar province, which is seen as the Taliban´s heartland, one insurgent told AFP he had received orders to stand down. But another Taliban commander based in Kandahar, Hafiz Saeed Hedayat, said he had only been ordered to refrain from attacking major cities and highways.

"This means maybe the violence will continue in the districts," Hedayat said.

Taliban expert Rahimullah Yusufzai said the move signalled a wider change in thinking for both the Taliban and the US after years of fighting.

"Both sides have shown their commitment to sign the peace deal, and it´s a big development," he said.

The US and the Taliban have been tantalisingly close to a deal before, only to see President Donald Trump nix it at the eleventh hour in September amid continued insurgent violence. Any truce comes fraught with danger, and analysts warn the attempt to stem Afghanistan´s bloodshed is laced with complications and could fail at any time. Worse still, they say warring parties could exploit a lull to reconfigure their forces and secure a battlefield advantage.

Russia hailed a historic agreement between the United States and the Taliban as an "important event" for peace in Afghanistan.

Moscow´s Afghanistan envoy, Zamir Kabulov, told state news agency RIA Novosti he would take part in the signing ceremony on February 29 if invited.

"It will be an important event for the peace process in Afghanistan," he added.

In Pakistan also welcomed the long awaited peace agreement between the Afghan Taliban and the US and said it was looking forward to the signing of the agreement in Kabul on February 29.

“Pakistan welcomes the announcement regarding the US-Taliban agreement. Pakistan has consistently supported direct negotiations between the US and Taliban. From the outset, Pakistan has facilitated this process and contributed to its progress thus far,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The government once again reaffirmed its support for a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan, at peace with itself and with its neighbours.

It is expected that a high profile Pakistan delegation will be attending the signing of this historical agreement but so far consultations are continuing regarding members of the delegation.

Earlier, when the spokesperson at the Foreign Office was asked about participation of Pakistan at the signing ceremony, she responded, “Regarding participation in the Afghan peace process and the potential signing date of agreement, I will let you know once we have the final confirmation.”

Pakistan pointed to the next step after the signing of the agreement saying that it believed that this US-Taliban agreement will now pave the way for the next step of the intra-Afghan negotiations.

“We hope the Afghan parties would now seize this historic opportunity and work out a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” added the statement.

“We are also looking forward to the international community playing its part in reinforcing the efforts for the establishment of sustainable peace in Afghanistan and helping to create conditions inside Afghanistan to enable the return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to their homeland with dignity and honour,” said the Foreign Office.