{"id":142062,"date":"2018-06-16T14:00:59","date_gmt":"2018-06-16T14:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/taliban-and-afghan-forces-embrace-in-eid-ceasefire\/"},"modified":"2018-06-16T14:00:59","modified_gmt":"2018-06-16T14:00:59","slug":"taliban-and-afghan-forces-embrace-in-eid-ceasefire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/taliban-and-afghan-forces-embrace-in-eid-ceasefire\/","title":{"rendered":"Taliban and Afghan forces embrace in Eid ceasefire"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure>                                  <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Taliban militants and soldiers mingle with residents of Kunduz during the Eid ceasefire\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/9323\/production\/_102076673_mediaitem102076672.jpg\"\/>Image copyright                  EPAs<figcaption>Image caption                                      Taliban militants, soldiers and residents mingle in Kunduz                              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"caps\">In scenes that would have seemed impossible a few days ago, members of the Afghan Taliban have been pictured embracing Afghan security forces amid a three-day ceasefire called to mark Eid.<\/p>\n<p>Similar encounters across the country have been documented by local media.<\/p>\n<p>Militants also met Interior Minister Wais Barmak in the capital Kabul.<\/p>\n<p>However there were reports of deaths in a blast at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan security officials in the city of Nangahar in eastern Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p>President Ashraf Ghani wants the ceasefire to lead to a longer peace and has called for the Taliban to negotiate. <\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month the Taliban denied that they were in secret talks with the Afghan government. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What&#039;s life like under the Taliban?<\/li>\n<li>Militants &#039;threaten 70% of Afghanistan&#039;<\/li>\n<li>Who are the Taliban?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Mr Ghani has also confirmed the death of the commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, in a US drone strike in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<h2>Extraordinary scenes<\/h2>\n<p><strong>By Anbarasan Ethirajan, BBC News<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For many Afghans these are extraordinary scenes. The two sides were fighting each other just a few days ago. The unprecedented development has raised hopes of permanent peace in the war ravaged country. <\/p>\n<figure>                                                                                                       Image copyright                  EPA<figcaption>Image caption                                      A militant hugs a member of the Afghan police in Kunduz                              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Neighbouring Pakistan is considered key in starting the peace process as many Afghan Taliban leaders are believed to be living inside the country. <\/p>\n<p>However Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring Islamist insurgents who have carried out several violent attacks inside Pakistan in the past. <\/p>\n<p>But the killing in Afghanistan of Mullah Fazlullah, one of Pakistan&#039;s most wanted militants, could address some of Islamabad&#039;s security concerns.<\/p>\n<h2>What has been happening?<\/h2>\n<p>Tolo News posted video of a militant embracing an Afghan soldier in Kunduz in the north of the country.<\/p>\n<p>                           Skip Twitter post  by @TOLOnews                              <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>#Taliban fighters, residents and security forces greet each other enthusiastically, on the outskirts of #Kunduz city, in the spirit of the #Eid #ceasefire pic.twitter.com\/e586r4KuJN<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) June 16, 2018<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>              Report                          <\/p>\n<p>End of Twitter post  by @TOLOnews<\/p>\n<p>Channel One meanwhile posted pictures of militants and soldiers in Ghazni to the south of Kabul<\/p>\n<p>                           Skip Twitter post  by @1TVNewsAF                              <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Taliban members meet with #Afghan forces in #Ghazni city checkpoints during Eid ceasefire pic.twitter.com\/mHYDWq9fMp<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 1TVNewsAF (@1TVNewsAF) June 16, 2018<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>              Report                          <\/p>\n<p>End of Twitter post  by @1TVNewsAF<\/p>\n<p>In Kabul itself, dozens of unarmed Taliban fighters entered to celebrate the unprecedented ceasefire.<\/p>\n<p>One Taliban member was pictured holding an Afghan flag on a bridge in the city as residents took selfies with him.<\/p>\n<p>                           Skip Twitter post  by @Hayatamanat                              <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>In the second day of ceasefire, #Taliban with their flag get streets in #Kabul city and people are taking selfies with them. #KotaSangi #Kabul. pic.twitter.com\/Z8sBnQhMMz<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Hayat Amanat (@Hayatamanat) June 16, 2018<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>              Report                          <\/p>\n<p>End of Twitter post  by @Hayatamanat<\/p>\n<p>Militants were also pictured with Mr Barmak.<\/p>\n<p>                           Skip Twitter post 2 by @TOLOnews                              <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>#MoI Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak meets Taliban members in Company area of #Kabul city this afternoon. #Ceasefire #Kabul #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com\/qC09H22axZ<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) June 16, 2018<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>              Report                          <\/p>\n<p>End of Twitter post 2 by @TOLOnews<\/p>\n<h2>How did the ceasefire come about?<\/h2>\n<p>The Taliban announced the three-day halt to hostilities earlier this month, days after a unilateral ceasefire lasting until Wednesday was ordered by the government.<\/p>\n<p>It is the Taliban&#039;s first ceasefire since the government they ran was toppled by the 2001 US-led invasion.<\/p>\n<p>The US state department has said US forces and coalition partners would &quot;honour the ceasefire&quot;.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Counting the cost of Trump&#039;s air war in Afghanistan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Officials said there had been no attacks since the ceasefire had been announced.<\/p>\n<p>In February Mr Ghani offered peace talks &quot;without preconditions&quot; and recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group if they respected the rule of law.<\/p>\n<h2>How have ordinary Afghans reacted?<\/h2>\n<p>Residents have been expressing their surprise and delight.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;I could not believe my eyes. I saw Taliban and police standing side by side and taking selfies,&quot; Kunduz resident Mohammad Amir told Reuters.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;It was the most peaceful Eid. For the first time we felt safe. It is hard to describe the joy,&quot; said Qais Liwal, a student in Zabul in southern Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<figure>                                                                                                       Image copyright                  EPA<figcaption>Image caption                                      Taliban members speak to residents in Kunduz                              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Crowds whistled and shouted as they welcomed Taliban fighters in various cities, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Celebrating Eid around the world<\/li>\n<li>Record-breaking crowds at huge Eid party<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan they offered fruit and sweets to the militants.<\/p>\n<p>Tens of thousands of Afghans have been killed since the US-led invasion drove the Taliban from power in 2001.<\/p>\n<h2>How does the Pakistani Taliban leader&#039;s death fit in?<\/h2>\n<p>In Pakistan, Interim Prime Minister Nasir-ul Mulk has said the killing of the Pakistani Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah in a US drone strike was a significant development in the fight against terrorism.<\/p>\n<p>It follows a phone call from Mr Ghani confirming the militant&#039;s death.<\/p>\n<figure>                                                                                                       Image copyright                  EPA<figcaption>Image caption                                      Mullah Fazlullah (centre) is shown in a video released by the Pakistan Taliban                              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The phone call is seen as an attempt to gain Pakistan&#039;s confidence and boost co-operation in Afghanistan&#039;s fight against militants, many of whose leaders live in Pakistan.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The ruthless &#039;radio mullah&#039; <\/li>\n<li>Meeting Mullah Fazlullah<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Fazlullah was linked to a number of attacks including a school massacre in Peshawar in 2014 that killed more than 150 people.<\/p>\n<p>He also ordered the attempted murder of schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head on a school bus aged 15.<\/p>\n<p>The Pakistani Taliban said at the time that they had shot her because she was &quot;pro-West&quot; and &quot;promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas&quot;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image copyright EPAsImage caption Taliban militants, soldiers and residents mingle in Kunduz In scenes that would have seemed impossible a few days ago, members of the Afghan Taliban have been<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}