MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2020) The Afghan government on Thursday has ordered the country's military to resume operations against the Taliban movement, despite the US-Taliban peace deal currently in place, citing the continued high level of violence on the part of militants, media reported.
According to 1TV broadcaster, Acting Defense Minister Asadullah Khalid ordered the army to change its status from defense to "active" defense, authorizing troops to strike against militants who attack them.
Kabul and the Taliban suspended military attacks against each other for a week preceding the signing of the US deal in late February. Under the accord, the US conditionally pledged to reduce its presence in Afghanistan from the 12,000 troops to 8,600 within 135 days, with the full pullout expected within 14 months. The Taliban, in return, pledged to provide guarantees that the country will not become a haven for terrorist groups.
The deal further provided for intra-Afghan talks, which never happened on their scheduled start date of March 10 due to Kabul-Taliban differences over the prisoner release precondition.
Moreover, once the agreement was concluded, the movement launched a series of offensives across the country, resulting in dozens of reported military and police deaths.
