• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
No Result
View All Result
Thursday, March 4, 2021
THE MILLENNIAL SOURCE
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter
TMS
No Result
View All Result
Home WORLD

US and Taliban agree to truce

byZachary Frye
February 15, 2020
in WORLD
Reading Time: 3 minute read
US and Taliban agree to truce
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



On Friday, February 14, the US and the Taliban agreed to implement a temporary truce, laying the groundwork for sustained peace. If a formal peace agreement is eventually finalized, American troops could be sent home after 18 years of war. 

For now, the agreement only stipulates an end of violence between the US and the Taliban, including Afghan security forces, for one week. 

An American official, on the condition of anonymity, said that a formal peace agreement could be signed within 10 days if all parties hold up their side of the agreement to halt fighting.

Both the US and the Taliban are reluctant to call the temporary truce a full cease-fire, as the Taliban have retained the right to retaliate if they feel Afghan forces use the deal to take over areas previously out of their control. 

There were, however, major concessions from the Taliban. They agreed to halt fighting in all major population centers, highways and government buildings. 

The agreement comes on the heels of one of the most violent years ever recorded in the conflict. According to United Nations data, there were over 8,000 civilian casualties in Afghanistan between January and September 2019. The UN reported that Afghan and US forces killed more civilians in 2019 than rebel groups.

Hope and fear

Officials on both sides appear hopeful that the truce can lead to a lasting peace. 

Speaking with the media on Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “[We] hope we can get to the place where we can get a significant reduction in violence — not only on a piece of paper, but demonstrated in the capability to actually deliver a serious reduction of violence in Afghanistan.”

If terms can be adhered to, he continued, “we may well be able to begin the real serious discussion, which is all the Afghans sitting at a table, finding a true reconciliation path forward.”

In a tweet, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wrote that the talks were “a welcoming development and I am pleased that our principal position on peace thus far has begun to yield fruitful results. Our primary objective is to end the senseless bloodshed.”

Today, I was pleased to receive a call from @SecPompeo, informing me of the notable progress made in the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban. The Secretary informed me about the Taliban’s proposal with regards to bringing a significant and enduring reduction in violence.

— Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) February 11, 2020

A bumpy road ahead

In any peace deal, the status of women and the position of the Taliban in post-war Afghanistan will complicate negotiations. Certain stakeholders, known as “spoilers”, might be happy with the financial or social gains conferred by the status quo. Those actors will “remain a threat to peace efforts throughout the process.” US officials say.

[article_ad]

Related

Tags: North AmericaPoliticsShort read
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

How would Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2% wealth tax work?

How would Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2% wealth tax work?

March 4, 2021
The future of cryptocurrency

The future of cryptocurrency

March 3, 2021
After an ascendant 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is having a terrible 2021

After an ascendant 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is having a terrible 2021

March 3, 2021

The Biden administration’s changes to the Paycheck Protection Program

March 2, 2021

What are NFTs?

March 2, 2021

The Dasgupta Review offers economically viable solutions for combating climate change

March 2, 2021

Here are the biggest take-aways from CPAC 2021

March 1, 2021

LinkedIn is launching its own service for freelancers

March 1, 2021

The House passed a COVID relief bill. What’s in it?

February 28, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • US
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Food & Travel
    • Tech & Money
    • Health
    • Entertainment
  • Newsletter

© 2020 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.