塔利班周日宣布，他们已经同意在阿富汗暂时停火，这为与美国和阿富汗政府达成潜在的和平协议带来了希望。
美联社首次报道援引匿名塔利班官员的话说，临时协议已经宣布，尽管承诺的期限尚不清楚。该新闻机构称，一些人建议至少持续10天，预计塔利班领导人将签署即将签署的和平协议。
美国希望签署一项和平协议，让唐纳德·特朗普总统结束美国历史上最长的战争。这场战争始于18年前的2001年，当时美国在当年9月11日遭到基地组织袭击。特朗普政府此前试图达成协议停滞不前因为塔利班似乎不愿意做出美国要求的承诺
在这张6月6日拍摄的照片中，美国士兵在瓦尔达克省内尔赫区阿富汗国家军队检查站，观看美国和北约驻阿富汗部队指挥官斯科特·米勒将军访问山坡时的情景
据美联社报道，潜在协议的一个“关键支柱”将是塔利班和阿富汗政府之间的直接谈判，以塑造这个南亚国家的未来。据报道，这些谈判将涵盖从言论自由的前进道路、妇女权利、塔利班战士的命运以及阿富汗军阀将会发生什么等议题。
新闻周刊已向白宫、国务院和美国中央司令部寻求评论。
特朗普一再批评美国卷入昂贵的外国冲突，并因今年早些时候美国军队突然撤出叙利亚而引发争议。他的政府推动结束阿富汗战争，美国目前在阿富汗驻扎了大约12000名士兵。
9月，特朗普通过推特公开宣布，他已经取消了与塔利班领导人和阿富汗总统阿什拉夫·加尼的秘密会晤。
“几乎每个人都不知道，塔利班主要领导人，以及阿富汗总统，将于周日在戴维营秘密会见我。他们今晚要来美国，”总统当时在推特上说。“不幸的是，为了建立虚假的杠杆作用，他们承认在喀布尔的一次袭击杀死了我们一名伟大的士兵和其他11人。我立即取消了会议，并取消了和平谈判。”
“他们只会让事情变得更糟！如果他们在这些非常重要的和平谈判中不能同意停火，甚至会杀死12名无辜的人，那么他们可能无论如何都没有权力谈判一项有意义的协议。他们还愿意战斗几十年？”他写道。
然后在感恩节，在阿富汗的一次惊喜之旅中，特朗普说他已经恢复了与塔利班的和平谈判。
阿富汗总统阿什拉夫·加尼11月28日在阿富汗巴格拉姆空军基地向美军发表讲话后，与唐纳德·特朗普总统握手
特朗普在会见阿富汗总统时说:“塔利班想要达成协议，我们正在与他们会面。”。
“我们将一直呆到我们达成协议，或者我们取得彻底胜利，他们非常想达成协议，”他补充道。总统还表示，他希望将美国在该国的驻军减少到大约8600名士兵。
周日，塔利班在阿富汗北部塔哈尔省发动袭击，造成至少17人死亡，半岛电视台报道。然而，这些是当地战士，不是美国军队。据报道，塔利班发言人扎比胡拉·穆贾希德声称，该激进组织已杀死21名枪手，并拿走了他们的武器。
美国陆军上士迈克尔·詹姆斯·戈贝尔成为第20位美国人今年死去在阿富汗持续的战争中。五角大楼在圣诞节前两天宣布戈布尔死亡。
TALIBAN HAS AGREED TO CEASE-FIRE IN AFGHANISTAN, WITH POSSIBILITY OF PEACE DEAL: REPORT
The Taliban announced on Sunday that they have agreed to a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan, providing hope that a potential peace agreement could move forward with the U.S. and the Afghan government.
The Associated Press first reported, citing anonymous Taliban officials, that the temporary agreement had been announced, although the promised duration is unclear. The news service said that some have suggested it would last at least 10 days, and it is expected that the Taliban's leader will sign the pending peace agreement.
The U.S. hopes to ink a peace deal that would allow President Donald Trump to end the longest war in the nation's history, which was launched 18 years ago in 2001 after the U.S. was attacked by Al Qaeda on September 11 of that year. Prior attempts by the Trump administration to secure an agreement had stalled, as the Taliban appeared unwilling to make commitments required by the U.S.
In this photo taken on June 6, U.S. soldiers look out over hillsides during a visit of the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan General Scott Miller at the Afghan National Army checkpoint in Nerkh district of Wardak province
According to The Associated Press report, a "key pillar" of the potential deal will be direct negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government to shape the future of the south Asian nation. Those negotiations would reportedly cover topics ranging from a path forward on free speech, women's rights, the fate of Taliban fighters, and what will happen to Afghan warlords.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House, the State Department and United States Central Command (CENTCOM) for comment.
Trump has repeatedly criticized U.S. involvement in expensive foreign conflicts, and has drawn controversy for his abrupt withdrawal of American forces from Syria earlier this year. His administration has pushed for ending the war in Afghanistan, where the U.S. currently has about 12,000 troops stationed.
In September, Trump publicly announced via Twitter that he had called off a secret meeting with Taliban leaders and Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani.
"Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday. They were coming to the United States tonight," the president tweeted at the time. "Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations."
"They only made it worse! If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don't have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway. How many more decades are they willing to fight?" he wrote.
Then on Thanksgiving, during a surprise trip to Afghanistan, Trump said he'd resumed peace talks with the Taliban.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani shakes hands with President Donald Trump after addressing U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field on November 28 in AfghanistanOLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP/GETTY
"The Taliban wants to make a deal, and we're meeting with them," Trump said as he met with Afghanistan's president.
"We're going to stay until such time as we have a deal, or we have total victory, and they want to make a deal very badly," he added. The president also stated his desire to reduce the U.S. troop presence in the country to about 8,600 soldiers.
The news of the possible peace deal and the cease-fire came as a Taliban attack claimed at least 17 lives in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported. However, those were local fighters and not U.S. troops. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reportedly claimed that the militant group had killed 21 gunmen and taken their weapons.
U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Michael James Goble became the 20th American to die this yearin the ongoing war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon announced Goble's death two days before Christmas.
This article has been updated with additional background information.
