Afghanistan Times
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Spiraling of violence could be proven risky to the fragile peace deal between the US and the Taliban group. Shelving nearly months of silence over unprecedented levels of violence around Afghanistan, the US point-man for peace has raced up the escalation of violence, believing inflammatory rhetoric does not advance peace, with fetching over neglecting the commitment to gradually reduce violence. Seemingly, the US and Taliban are at odds, and incriminating each other for violating their peace agreement. US forces had carried several airstrikes in Helmand to help Afghan security forces in the counterattack of the Taliban attacks. Taliban deem it against the deal, while the US showed commitment to help the Afghan forces when they are in need. Unfortunately, this is the Afghan civilians who are suffering more and their blood has been trading over the last 40 years. The current stakeholders were once engaged in this bloody business in the past that led to more devastation, eventually to the civil war. What differential does it make today is these players are grey and more crafty now. The Afghans still don’t know what is really agreed between the US and the Taliban. Such accusations or multiple terminologies as modification to violence reduction may possibly take as a deliberate attempt to create confession on the path to the peace process. It’s utterly on the shoulder of the US who signed a deal with the Taliban to bring them on the right track even if by coercing. Based on the Doha agreement, the Taliban agreed not to attack major cities and highways, but they did. This agreement could not survive if the Taliban kept making mistakes with the US. They kept the level of violence up until President Trump slapped them and canceled the talks with a small tweet. Just in the past one week hundreds of people were killed and over 4,000 people displaced in Helmand province only. The gravity of war is very complicated but history will remember this and the Taliban should not let this peace opportunity fail at the hands of domestic and foreign spoilers. The Afghans want a comprehensive peace which is possible only to stop bloodshed and brutality which is possible by ceasefire and other formulas, including the military power would be a ridiculous approach.
