Taliban open to 10-day ceasefire with U.S., talks with Afghan govt

A file photo of members of a Taliban delegation leaving after peace talks with senior Afghan politicians in Moscow, May 30, 2019. /Reuters Photo

The Taliban will implement a 10-day ceasefire with U.S. troops, a reduction in violence with Afghan forces and discussions with Afghan government officials if it reaches a deal with U.S. negotiators in talks in Doha, according to two sources.

Hopes for a long-term solution to the conflict in Afghanistan could be revived if an agreement is sealed.

Taliban and U.S. negotiators met on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the signing of a peace deal, according to a spokesman for the Taliban office in Qatar. The talks were useful and would continue for a few days, the spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, tweeted.

In September, U.S. President Donald Trump had called off the stop-start talks to end the 18-year war after a U.S. soldier was killed in an attack by the militant group.

They resumed but were interrupted again in December after the Taliban launched a suicide attack on a U.S. base outside Kabul, killing two civilians.

Afghan special forces stand guard at the site of a suicide car bomb explosion that killed at least four people on the outskirts of Kabul, September 12, 2019. /AP Photo

Two sources close to the matter said Wednesday that the Taliban's top leadership council had now agreed to implement a 10-day ceasefire with U.S. troops once a deal was signed in Doha and reduce attacks against the Afghan government.

Once an agreement is in place, the Taliban and Afghan government could start Afghan-to-Afghan talks in Germany, said a senior Taliban commander. Previously, the Taliban had refused to engage in talks with the Afghan government.

The U.S. team in Doha had demanded a ceasefire, "which we had declined due to some issues," the Taliban commander said. "Now, most of our reservations have been addressed." Another source close to the talks confirmed the commander's version of events.

A signing date has not been fixed, but the Taliban commander said he expected it to be very soon. Both sources asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Since the U.S. and the Taliban resumed direct talks in July 2018, the two sides have pursued a "fight-and-talk strategy." However, the strategy appeared to hit a limit in the failed talk in September, before which a series of Taliban attacks drew heavy condemnation from the Afghan government.

The Taliban's readiness to reduce violence revives odds of the peace process moving forward before the militant group launches what is usually an annual spring offensive around early April.

(With input from Reuters)