MUNICH: The United States and Taliban have reached a deal for a seven-dayreduction of violence in Afghanistan, a senior American official saidFriday, unveiling details of the agreement Washington hopes will lead to afull peace accord.
The weeklong period has not yet begun but will do so “really soon”, theofficial said, contradicting a Taliban suggestion it would start on Friday.
The partial truce came after more than a year of gruelling talks between USofficials and the Taliban as they seek an end to what has become the US’slongest war.
“The reduction of violence agreement is very specific. And… it’snationwide and it includes the Afghans,” the official told reporters,speaking on condition of anonymity.
The US military, which has between 12,000 and 13,000 troops in Afghanistan,will monitor the reduction in violence to ensure the Taliban upholds itscommitments, the official said at the Munich Security Conference.
Some kind of communication channel between the US military and the Talibanis foreseen to address any problems that arise, including possible “falseflag” attempts by outside actors to sabotage the accord.
“We will be monitoring, there will be verification associated with it tosee if the Taliban deliver — if the Taliban deliver on their commitments wehave commitments, in terms of reduction of forces that are also specific,”the official said.
The Taliban has long demanded the complete withdrawal of US forces fromAfghanistan but the official said any reduction in numbers will depend onthe militants sticking to their side of the deal.
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The official added that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a “very goodmeeting” to brief Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the deal on thesidelines of the Munich conference.
If the partial truce holds, the hope is that it could lead to a next stageof negotiations — between the Taliban and the Kabul government, with aneventual comprehensive peace deal the ultimate goal.
President Donald Trump hailed the reduction in violence as a sign that afuller accord was “very close”.
But there have been previous false dawns, with a deal all but complete inSeptember before Trump nixed it at the last moment amid continued Talibanviolence.
Washington and its NATO allies have been adamant that they will not allowAfghanistan to become a launchpad for terror attacks in the West.
Facing an election later this year, Trump last month renewed his vow tobring troops home from Afghanistan, more than 18 years after the US invadedto overthrow the Taliban. – APP / AFP
