In Afghanistan, Ceasefires Could Pave a Path to Peace by Courtney Cooper - Defense One
Ten months ago, the Donald J. Trump administration announced its South Asia strategy, which largely prioritized military efforts to stabilize the stalemate in Afghanistan. Since then, thousands of additional U.S. troops have arrived in Afghanistan and U.S. military strikes against the Taliban have increased exponentially; (the number of strikes was 700 percent higher in December 2017 than December 2016). Yet such efforts do not appear to have diminished the Taliban’s battlefield strength nor its ability to launch attacks in urban population centers, judging from the Department of Defense inspector general’s latest report and the spate of high-profile attacks in 2018. Despite this escalation, recent announcements of overlapping, temporary cease-fires by the Afghan government, U.S.-led NATO forces, and the Taliban are hopeful signs that there is still room to move toward a political dialogue to end the conflict…