Why the new ceasefires in Afghanistan won't end the war
Afghan Army Chief of Staff Sharif Yaftali and Deputy Minister Akhtar Mohammad Ibrahimi during a press conference in Kabul on June 7, 2018. Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images
The war in Afghanistan, which has been raging for nearly 17 years, is experiencing its first-ever ceasefire — two, in fact.
The details: The first one, implemented today, was declared by the Afghan government. The second one, announced by the Taliban, will go into effect soon. Both will be brief and will mark the end of the Ramadan holiday.
The big picture: Any ceasefire in Afghanistan, no matter how fleeting, is a good thing. But while these truces set a hopeful precedent, they won’t lead to long-term peace anytime soon.
So long as the Taliban believes it's winning, it has no incentive to stop fighting. And the Taliban, which launched a fresh offensive in the southeastern province of Ghazni today, very much believes it's winning. It controls 40–50% of Afghanistan’s nearly 400 districts, and several weeks ago nearly seized the western city of Farah.
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Michael Kugelman is deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.