Ceasefire Encourages Taliban to Make Peace

 

In Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani announced the end of the Afghan government's unilateral cease-fire. Despite President Ghani's historic offer to extend the ceasefire another ten days, the Taliban did not extend its own participation¹ past the Eid festival.

Nonetheless, Afghan President Ghani offered to sit down with Taliban leader Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, “anywhere he wants” to engage in negotiations² that could bring about the peace the Afghan people briefly³ but so joyously⁴ glimpsed during the Eid holiday.

During the ceasefire, the Coalition⁵ did not conduct any air strikes against the Taliban, said Brigadier General Lance Bunch, Assistant Deputy Commanding General for Air, U.S.-Forces-Afghanistan. The Afghan Air Force carried out dozens of self-defensive strikes, but only when the Taliban took offensive action against Afghan government forces.

General Bunch, part of whose mission is to train, advise, and assist the Afghan Air Force as it builds its capacity, praised that force's response to the Taliban's offensive actions:“It's been an honor to watch them own this fight and want to own it,” he said.“Every day, they're only getting better and more capable, on the battlefield and in the air. They are fighting for the future of their nation and for the rest of the world, as well.”

General Bunch pointed⁶ out that the purpose of the Coalition's air campaign during the winter and into the spring was “to pressure the Taliban into reconciliation⁷, and help them realize that peace talks are their best option.”

He said the Coalition's military pressure “has been amplified⁸ by the diplomatic and social pressure that is manifesting itself across the country in the form of the Afghan people calling for peace.”

Leading that diplomatic pressure campaign is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Alice Wells who recently visited Kabul to underscore U.S. support for an Afghan-led peace process and reiterate⁹ the United States is ready to support, facilitate, and participate in peace discussions.

“The war is not going well for the Taliban,” General Bunch declared, adding that before President Donald Trump's South Asia Strategy gave the U.S. military expanded authorities, “the Taliban thought they could wait for us to leave because we lacked the will. We are showing them otherwise; the Afghan people are showing them otherwise, because,” he said, “the overwhelming desire of the Afghan people...is for peace and stability in this great nation.”

1 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 joyously   

ad.快乐地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She opened the door for me and threw herself in my arms, screaming joyously and demanding that we decorate the tree immediately. 她打开门，直扑我的怀抱，欣喜地喊叫着要马上装饰圣诞树。
• They came running, crying out joyously in trilling girlish voices. 她们边跑边喊，那少女的颤音好不欢快。 来自名作英译部分

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

8 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

9 reiterate   

v.重申，反复地说

参考例句：

• Let me reiterate that we have absolutely no plans to increase taxation.让我再一次重申我们绝对没有增税的计划。
• I must reiterate that our position on this issue is very clear.我必须重申我们对这一项议题的立场很清楚。