KABUL – Increasing prospects of peace talks with the Taliban show the U.S.strategy in Afghanistan is working, despite continuing violence andinsurgent control of wide areas of the countryside, top U.S. commanders inAfghanistan said on Monday.

The comments came as speculation has grown that talks to end 17 years ofwar in Afghanistan may be closer after last month’s ceasefire over the Eidholiday brought scenes of unarmed fighters and soldiers mingling on thestreets.

“The advancement toward the reconciliation goal in President Trump’sstrategy has seen progress in the last year that we haven’t seen in theprevious 17 years and that is significant,” General John Nicholson,commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, told reporters.

“I believe this advancement toward peace is extremely relevant and in a wayis perhaps more important than some of these other metrics that we’ve beenusing,” he said.

CIVILIAN DEATHSAlmost a year after U.S. President Donald Trump sent more troops toAfghanistan and gave commanders greater authority to use air strikesagainst the Taliban, thousands of civilians are still being killed andwounded and the government holds no more than two-thirds of the country.

However General Joseph Votel, the top U.S. regional commander who wasvisiting Kabul, expressed “cautious optimism” about the progress made. Hesaid the strategy, which set no deadline for U.S. forces to leaveAfghanistan, had squeezed the Taliban and created the space for diplomaticand social pressure for peace to build.

Amid growing diplomatic activity behind the scenes, President Ashraf Ghanihas offered the Taliban peace talks without conditions and the UnitedStates has offered to support and participate in the talks, while insistingthey would remain Afghan-led.

The Kabul government has also said it is considering offering anotherceasefire during next month’s Eid al-Qurban holiday, an offer Nicholsonendorsed, despite the “tactical risk” that fighters could use it to gain anadvantage.