In a two-page letter to the Taliban, US Forces-Afghanistan spokesperson Colonel Sonny Leggett said “all sides” must show restraint to prevent further bloodshed. “If the violence cannot be reduced then yes, there will be responses,” Leggett wrote in a letter to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The Taliban also verbally committed to reduce violence by as much as 80 per cent, Leggett said, and to halt attacks on urban areas. Meanwhile, the prisoner swap has stalled as the Afghan government frets about releasing hard-line Taliban members who will return to the fight. The Taliban have mounted more than 4,500 attacks since signing a deal with the United States, according to data seen by Reuters.

Source: Pakistan Today May 02, 2020 17:03 UTC