Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a ceasefire of attacks against the Taliban that will remain in effect as long as the latter abide by it. Taliban responded with the release of hundreds of prisoners to mark the Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival that culminates in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and the sacrifice of Abraham.
From Ghani's side, the ceasefire takes effect on Monday, Aug 20. and will be in place for three months, until the Prophet Mohammed's birthday on Nov. 21, depending on how the Taliban will recognize the truce.
Sources from the Taliban said the group agreed on a four-day truce for the interim and subsequent decisions will still have to come from its group leader, Sheikh Haibatulla Akhunzada.
The ceasefire was announced by Ghani in a ceremony celebrating the 99 years of Afghan independence from British rule, Reuters reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it is time for peace, welcoming the ceasefire and promising that the United States is willing to support in furthering peace talks. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for the Taliban to respect the ceasefire.
As all these were being announced, about 50 peace activists have been walking barefoot along the pedestrians from Kabul to the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. The group is calling for all authorities to permanently stop the war.
The group is mostly comprised of both the young and old generations who lost their loved ones during the war. The older ones were mostly comprised of the generations who experienced Afghanistan pre-war. The peace movement garnered supporters from different areas of the country, holding respective activities to call on the warring parties to engage in peace talks.
The group has begun walking from Helmand provinces which is some 200 miles far from their intended destination, the Washington Post reported. Some members started walking to Kabul in May and June, calling for the government to reach out with the Taliban. Since then, their numbers have increased to more than 100. A few of them have even bravely spoken with the Taliban and tried to appeal for the group to end the war.
Some members of the group who were left in Kabul set up tents outside the major embassies in the country. They were able to meet with diplomats and asked their support for their peace movement. At one point, members were able to speak with President Ghani and asked him to take practical steps to finally stop the war in the country.
The United States has been fighting the war in Afghanistan from 2001 until the present. It has been the longest war the nation has fought to date. In June 2010, it surpassed the Vietnam War as the longest conflict in U.S. history. Former President Georg W. Bush announced the nation's first strikes against the insurgents a month after the 9/11.
On the other hand, the Taliban has been fighting for control in Afghanistan since 1996. Many nations have attempted to intervene but the war lingers up until today.
President Ghani's call for ceasefire came a day after bloody clashes take place in the northern province of Faryab where the Taliban seized a provincial district. More than 50 government officials were reported missing in the aftermath of the encounters.
Furthermore, August saw at least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians were killed in a five-day conflict where U.S.-backed soldiers battled with the Taliban for the control of Ghazni. The United Nations said suicide attacks and arm battles killed more than 1,600 civilians in the first six months of 2018. This was the highest fatalities in the past decade, the UN said.
Sadly, the ceasefire only covers the Taliban and will not be reinforced with other insurgent groups.
