On Day 1 of truce in Afghanistan, optimism, fear and expectations
KABUL, February 22
Afghans on Saturday welcomed the pledge by the Taliban and US to reduce violence, despite uncertainty looming over the war-torn country.
Saturday was the first morning of a seven-day “reduced violence” period that is meant to lead to an agreement between the United States and the Taliban in Doha on February 29.
If signed, the agreement and subsequent intra-Afghan talks represent a chance for peace and the potential pullout of thousands of US troops, who have been in Afghanistan since US-led forces ousted the hardline Islamist Taliban from power in 2001.
Many Afghans said they were anxious about what might come next. “As a citizen who has grown up after the U.S. takeover, I don’t want to sacrifice everything,” Baha Farkish, 18, a student of Kabul University, told Reuters, referring to the possibility that the Taliban would return to some sort of power.
“I don’t want my country to lose the achievements of the last two decades,” she said, adding, “As a young Afghan, I expect to keep my freedom of speech and opinion after the peace agreement with Taliban.”
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 after seizing power following years of civil war, and imposed many restrictions on women and activities it deemed “un-Islamic.” Since 2001, the Taliban have led a violent insurgency against the internationally backed government, killing thousands.
“It doesn’t feel very hopeful. We had ceasefires in the past, and they resulted in the Taliban coming to the cities and wherever they want,” said Bushra Wared, 23, a business student at the American university of Afghanistan. “We have always been terrified of the Taliban,” she said.
“But, if that’s the only option to reach a stable peace, we will have to change our mindsets because we don’t want to lose more innocent souls.” In some parts of the country, the announcement of the reduction in violence was met with celebration. — Reuters
