...Arabic for students...
front man Zabiullah Mujahid on Monday rejected media reports saying the ruling council of the group had agreed to a temporary ceasefire that would eventually open the way for signing a peace deal between the group and the United States.
Mujahid said in a statement that discussions are still underway about a reduction of violence and lessened operations.
The news report about the group’s alleged agreement on a temporary ceasefire was first published by the News Agency that Dare Not be Named on Sunday, which quoted a source saying an agreement had been reached by all except for the top leader, who was "expected" to approve the ceasefire.
But a more recent Taliban statement said:
"The reality of the situation is that the Islamic Emirate has no intention of declaring a ceasefire. The United States has asked for a reduction in the scale and intensity of violence and discussions being held by the Islamic Emirate are revolving solely around this specific issue."
Sources familiar with the talks said that the Taliban council has agreed on a reduction of violence that will be limited to cities.
"All members of the Taliban’s ruling council, and a majority of their leaders, have agreed to a one-week ceasefire or reduction of violence that will be limited to cities," said Sami Yusufzai, a journalist in Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
He said the Taliban is calling it a reduction of violence instead of a ceasefire and that "it will be a big test for the Taliban."
"We hope that Zalmay Khalilzad will return from the US to Qatar and make the final decision and sign the agreement about a withdrawal of foreign forces and a ceasefire," said Shakoor Mutmaen, a former Taliban member.
But the Afghan government said a ceasefire will be one of the main pre-conditions of negotiations with the Taliban.
"The Afghan government expects that the US-Taliban talks will cause a result soon," said presidential front man Durrani Jawed Waziri. "The government of Afghanistan has made preparations and formed an effective, concise and capable team for talks with the Taliban and for ensuring a ceasefire."
| Dawn adds: |
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had thought to pack sun block...
deadly bouts of fighting continue, with tens of thousands of Afghan cops killed since they inherited combat operations from NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
at the end of 2014.
Everyday Afghans also continue to bear the brunt of the bloody conflict.
Last week the UN said the country had passed a grim milestone this year, with more than 100,000 Afghan civilians killed or maimed over the past decade.