Taliban, Afghan forces clash on first day of violence reduction period
(VOVWORLD) - Taliban fighters and Afghan security forces clashed in parts of Afghanistan on Saturday, a day after a week-long "reduction in violence" was announced, but the incidents did not spark immediate alarm on either side.
 An Afghan security force member stands guard at a security tower where two US soldiers were killed a day before in Shirzad district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, February 9, 2020. (Photo: Reuters) |
If the violence reduction period is observed successfully, the United States and the Taliban will sign an agreement next Saturday that could lead to a pullout of thousands of US troops after nearly two decades in the country.
Taliban fighters attacked Afghan forces in Balkh province in the early hours of Saturday, according to the spokesman for the provincial police and head of the provincial council.
There were no immediate details on the casualties in the clashes.
Previous attempts at negotiating peace agreements have been scuttled by Taliban attacks on international forces, most recently in December last year when an attack on a US military base put talks on hold.