Afghanistan Times
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The Taliban group has doubled offensives against the Afghan security forces around the country. Even the peace deal with the U.S. and the current peace talks with the Afghan delegation in Doha, failed to encourage the Taliban to stop the war or at least reduce the violence. There is no sign of ending war despite peace efforts, rather rising in violence could threaten to derail the peace talks. It doesn’t matter which side starts violence, but more violence goes to cycle of escalation. The biggest concern is what will happen if we miss this opportunity for peace. The consequences will be fatal. There is a need from both sides, to show restraint with attention to make this peace process work. It’s possible if we put aside the wrong attitudes and the prospect of more leverage through unleashing a wave of violence. 51 civilians were killed in the last one week, plus dozens of Afghan security forces and 403 Taliban fighters. This bells the alarm of deadly weeks ahead as words that can help reduce the violence are completely lost. Flawing to stick in violence can make it very difficult to come to any kind of reasonable solution with fear of Doha talks failure. Some may accuse the US of a wrong deal with the Taliban that pat Afghanistan in a very dangerous situation – silly peace process never works and the US already legitimize the Taliban and give them identity. Yes, this could be right, but the fact is that the war has lost its military means. We need to talk at some point, why not now. We can’t fight for four more decades to come. We need to finish this war one day, and why not today. Selfishness or increasing violence is not a solution and this war requires flexibility. The both sides, the Afghan government and Taliban group, have to agree on a common approach, lessening from their standpoints could help this process succeed. Albeit, what is the best for the Afghan security forces is that they should prove to the world that they are processional, capable, and respectful to the citizens during this challenging time. The spoilers will not leave any stone unturned to defame the ANDSF. NATO already reiterated support to them till 2024, but still they should exercise extreme cautions and must live up to their own standard at this moment. If they remain responsible, undoubtedly they survive post-settlement and remain the future of the Afghan security sector after the talks end.
