KABUL: A week-long, partial truce appeared to be largely holding acrossAfghanistan on Saturday, with jubilant civilians celebrating in the streetsto mark a potentially historic turning point in the war, even as isolatedattacks threatened to undermine the process.
The Taliban, US and Afghan forces have all agreed to a so-called “reductionin violence” marking only the second lull in fighting since 2001.
“It is the first morning that I go out without the fear of being killed bya bomb or suicide bomber. I hope it continues forever,” Kabul taxi driverHabib Ullah said, while in other parts of the country people danced in thestreets after the truce kicked in at midnight.
However in Balkh province in the north, Taliban fighters attacked adistrict headquarters near the provincial capital of Mazar-i-Sharif,killing two Afghan soldiers, a local official told AFP. There were alsoreports of a separate incident in central Uruzgan province.
General Scott Miller, who leads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, did notdirectly address those incidents, but stressed that Western forces wouldcontinually monitor the situation.
“We´ve stopped our offensive operations as part of our obligations,” Millertold reporters.
In the event of any breaches of the truce, Miller said the US wouldcommunicate with the Taliban through various channels set up in Doha, wherethe insurgents have a political office.
“As more days go on we will have a better understanding of what trendsare,” Miller said.
“Very clearly this is a conditional effort, this is a trial period.”
*Read more: US-Taliban agreement to be signed on February 29: Pompeolink*
The partial truce is expected to set the conditions for Washington and theinsurgents to sign a deal in Doha on February 29 that could, ultimately,pull US troops out after more than 18 years and launch war-wearyAfghanistan into an uncertain future.
A successful week would show the Taliban can control their forces anddemonstrate good faith ahead of any signing.
It also gives a much-needed respite to civilians, who have long borne thebrunt of the bloody conflict. The UN´s Afghanistan mission said Saturdaythat more than 10,000 people had been killed or wounded in the war in 2019alone.
In Kandahar in the south, considered the Taliban heartland, and the easternprovince of Jalalabad, dozens of Afghans could be seen dancing the attan –a traditional Pashtun dance — in the streets in celebration overnight.
In Kabul, which for years now has been one of the deadliest places in thecountry for civilians, those who spoke to AFP were more wary.
Shopkeeper Emamuddin, who like many Afghans goes by one name, said Afghanswant peace “whatever it takes”.
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“A week of no violence will pass in a blink of the eye,” he said.
“They should find a long-lasting solution for this country´s problem.”Dangerous moment
Details of how exactly the reduction in violence will work have remainedscant.
The US has said there is an “understanding” for a “significant andnationwide reduction in violence across Afghanistan”, while Afghan securityforces will remain “on active defence status” during the week.
In Kandahar, one insurgent told AFP he had received orders to stand down –but another said he had only been ordered to refrain from attacking majorcities and highways.
Any truce comes fraught with danger, and analysts warn the attempt to stemAfghanistan´s bloodshed is laced with complications and could fail at anytime.
Since the US invasion in 2001 there has only been one other pause in thefighting — a surprise three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and Kabulmarking the religious festival of Eid in 2018.
Afghans responded joyfully, with Taliban fighters, security forces andcivilians hugging, sharing ice creams and posing for selfies in previouslyunimaginable scenes.
Perhaps in a bid to avoid such scenes, the Taliban have instructed theirfighters to stay away from government-controlled areas during the truce,but a senior Afghan security official said the insurgents would be welcomewith “open arms”.
Washington has been in talks with the Taliban for more than a year tosecure a deal which would see it initially reduce troop levels fromapproximately 12-13,000 to an expected total of about 8,600.
In return, the Taliban would give security guarantees and a promise to holdpeace talks with the government in Kabul.
Conflict in Afghanistan has forced hundreds of thousands of Afghans to fleeinto neighbouring Pakistan, where they are monitoring developments in theirhomeland closely.
“I am hopeful the peace agreement will bring peace in Afghanistan and wewill be able to return,” said Amir Khan, a father of six who fledAfghanistan 35 years ago and now lives in Peshawar on the Pakistani side ofthe border. -APP/AFP
