Taliban truce holding on despite isolated attacks

A partial truce marking a potential turning point in Afghanistan’s war appeared to be holding on Sunday.

Afghans celebrate the patrial truce with dance in Kandahar on Saturday. Picture: AFP

A partial truce marking a potential turning point in Afghanistan’s war appeared to be holding on Sunday, with only isolated attacks threatening to mar a process that drew jubilant civilians across the shattered country onto the streets to celebrate.

The Taliban, US and Afghan forces have all agreed to a so-called reduction in violence, marking only the second lull in fighting since the US-led invasion of 2001.

“It is the first morning that I go out without the fear of being killed by a bomb or suicide bomber. I hope it continues forever,” Kabul taxi driver Habib Ullah said, while in other parts of the country people danced in the streets after the truce kicked in at midnight on Friday.

However in Balkh province in the north, Taliban fighters attacked a district headquarters near the provincial capital of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing two Afghan soldiers. There were also reports of a separate incident in central Oruzgan province.

Scott Miller, who leads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, did not directly address those incidents, but stressed that Western forces would continually monitor the situation. “We’ve stopped our offensive operations as part of our obligations,” General Miller said.

In the event of any breaches of the truce, General Miller said the US would communicate with the Taliban through various channels set up in Doha, where the insurgents have a political office.

“As more days go on we will have a better understanding of what trends are,” he said.

“Very clearly, this is a conditional effort, this is a trial period.”

The partial truce is expected to set the conditions for Washington and the insurgents to sign a deal in Doha on Saturday that could, ultimately, pull US troops out after more than 18 years and launch war-weary Afghanistan into an uncertain future.

A successful week would show the Taliban can control its forces and demonstrate good faith ahead of any signing.

It also gives a much-needed respite to civilians. The UN’s Afghanistan mission said on Saturday that more than 10,000 people had been killed or wounded in the war in 2019 alone.

In Kandahar in the south, considered the Taliban heartland, and the eastern province of Jalalabad, dozens of Afghans danced the attan — a traditional Pashtun dance — in the streets.

In Kabul, which for years now has been one of the deadliest places in the country for civilians, people were more wary.

Shopkeeper Emamuddin said Afghans wanted peace “whatever it takes”. “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.”

Details of how the reduction in violence will work remain scant. The US has said there is an “understanding” for a “significant and nationwide reduction in violence across Afghanistan”, while Afghan security forces will remain “on active defence status” during the week.

Highlighting the partial nature of the truce, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stressed it was “not a ceasefire”. “The reduction in violence covers provincial capitals, army HQs, divisions, battalion centres and foreign forces compounds,” he said on Twitter.

Since the US invasion in 2001 there has been only one other pause in the fighting — a surprise three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and Kabul marking the religious festival of Eid in 2018.

Washington has been in talks with the Taliban for more than a year to secure a deal that would see it initially reduce troop levels from about 12,000 to about 8600. In return, the Taliban would give security guarantees and hold peace talks with the government in Kabul. Such a deal appeared to have been reached last September, but Donald Trump cancelled a Camp David summit after a spate of Taliban attacks.

AFP