Kabul, Washington, Taliban agree to reduce violence

The US envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad during a debate on the Tolo television channel in Kabul, April 28, 2019. REUTERS / Omar Sobhani

Text by: Sonia Ghezali

A violence reduction agreement has been reached between the Taliban, the Americans and the Afghan government. They agreed to reduce violence over a period of one week. The announcement was made this Friday morning by the spokesperson for the Afghan National Security Council.

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From our regional correspondent,

The agreement will take effect this Friday evening at midnight. The United States Special Envoy for Peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has been negotiating an agreement for more than a year for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. This withdrawal of foreign troops is the condition imposed by the Taliban before considering any peace talks with the Afghan authorities whose legitimacy they do not recognize.

The agreement signed to date between the Taliban and the Americans does not herald a truce properly speaking. It is more a reduction of violence. It is a kind of test for each party involved in the conflict.

A prerequisite before peace negotiations

This reduction in violence is a requirement of the United States and the Afghan authorities before entering into peace negotiations with the insurgents. Talks between the United States and the Taliban began more than a year ago. The meetings took place in Doha, Qatar, and discussions were always carried out without the presence of any representative of the Kabul government.

The announcement of these seven days of violence reduction comes in the context of an acute political crisis. Several presidential candidates of last September reject the official results announced a few days ago and which give victorious the outgoing president Ashraf Ghani.

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