Afghans celebrate Eid, pause in fight
President hopes historic truce will last beyond the Ramadan holiday
HERAT, AFGHANISTAN— Taliban fighters put down their weapons and mingled joyfully with Afghan civilians and security force members in provincial centres across the war-torn country Friday, celebrating both the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, and the beginning of an unprecedented three-day ceasefire in the almost 17-year conflict.
In this western capital city and the surrounding region, Taliban members distributed leaflets that praised the bravery of insurgent warriors in battle but also welcomed Eid al-Fitr, the post-Ramadan holiday, and called on insurgents to “cease all fighting and take up defensive positions” until after Eid ends Sunday. Young men danced and sang in the streets of Herat on Thursday night, shouting “Ceasefire! Ceasefire!” in Dari and Pashto.
Videos posted on social media also showed jubilant crowds in Zabul, Wardak and Logar provinces dancing to drums and flutes, while insurgents hugged local residents and posed for selfies with them. One video showed two large banners with the faces of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, along with a message saying, “Thank you so much for announcing the ceasefire for the happiness of Afghans.”
Ghani, after offering Eid prayers Friday in his palace in Kabul, noted that the Taliban had honoured the truce since midnight and said he hoped it could be prolonged beyond Eid. A caravan of peace activists drove from the capital city to nearby Logar province, a Taliban stronghold, where one member said they asked “both sides to talk to each other and end this war.”
A Taliban official in Herat, who uses the single name Izzatullah, said in a brief telephone interview that the group recognized how much the public had welcomed the ceasefire and that after Eid, its leaders would discuss whether to extend it.
The unexpected outpouring of hope, on one of Islam’s most important and festive days, was somewhat dampened by two violent attacks that left a dozen people dead in the days imme- diately preceding it.
Nevertheless, the upbeat mood that swept the country Friday seemed to be gathering strength as the day progressed. Taliban officials had said previously that they might still attack foreign forces during the truce, but no violent incidents or ceasefire violations were reported. By mid-evening, hundreds of armed but peaceful Taliban were reportedly swarming into the central district of Qalat to join the celebration.
The initial success of the first ceasefire in the protracted conflict seemed to reflect a deepening war-weariness on both sides and stepped-up official efforts to end hostilities, even as Taliban forces have continued to wage aggressive campaigns to capture rural areas, launch attacks in Kabul and reject government overtures for talks.
Early this month, a large gathering of Afghanistan’s leading Islamic clerics called for an end to the conflict, declaring that it was un-Islamic, and said that peace talks must be held. As that meeting was dispersing, a suicide bomber attacked the site, leaving 14 people dead. Last month, Ghani made a generous peace proposal to the insurgents, offering them a political role and recognition if they were to renounce the fight. The insurgents ignored it and kept on fighting. But early this week, when Ghani announced a unilateral ceasefire during Eid with no conditions, the insurgents accepted the offer.
“People are so happy at the ceasefire that they have forgot the happiness of Eid,” Noor Agha, a police official in Zabul, said on one video as he watched scores of smiling Taliban fighters enter the bazaar.
“We all want the government to make more of these opportunities.”