Hope for peace rekindles in Afghanistan

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper at a security conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday Associated Press/Photo by Jens Meyer

The United States and the Taliban are expected to announce a roadmap for peace talks Friday after agreeing to a seven-day reduction in violence. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper met Friday in Munich with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani about the next steps to end the country’s 18-year war and withdraw thousands of American troops.

How significant is the move? If the Taliban sticks to the truce for seven days, talks between the insurgent group and the Afghan government could begin within 10 days after that. The Taliban has refused to negotiate with the government in Kabul, calling it a U.S. puppet. American officials have said the Taliban must pledge not to associate with terror groups like Islamic State (ISIS) or al-Qaeda.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on the fear and unrest in Afghanistan after U.S.-Taliban peace talks broke down in September.

Onize Ohikere

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks