Taliban Announce Brief Cease-Fire, Offering Afghans Hope for Lull in War by Mujib Mashal – New York Times
KABUL, Afghanistan - In a move that could inject life into a long-struggling Afghan peace process, the Taliban announced Saturday that they would halt operations against Afghan forces for the three days of the Muslim festival of Eid.
Their announcement comes days after the Afghan government declared a unilateral eight-day cease-fire and for the first time promises Afghan civilians, who have borne the brunt of the 17-year conflict, a temporary reduction in violence, which has only been spiraling in recent years.
The Taliban announcement came after another bloody night in Afghanistan. In three provinces alone, more than 50 members of the Afghan security forces and pro-government militias were killed overnight, government officials said Saturday.
A strong push is underway to restart a lackluster peace process, which has repeatedly broken down, in the hopes of bringing an end to the Afghan war…