Afghan Peace Process Risking Collapse Due to Flaring Violence

By Staff, Agencies

Two months after the US and the Taliban signed a deal to end Afghanistan's war, violence is spiraling out of control and experts say a fragile peace process risks collapse.

Dozens of Afghan security forces and Taliban militants were killed almost daily with civilian casualties rising across the country as both sides ramp up operations.

The insurgents have been emboldened by a deal that gave them many concessions in exchange for a few commitments, fuelling their surge of attacks in recent weeks, according to analysts.

The timing could hardly be worse, as Afghanistan also grapples with a coronavirus epidemic.

According to an Afghan official, on average, the Taliban have launched 55 attacks each day since the deal signing in Doha on February 29, while a UN agency claimed that Afghan forces are causing more child deaths than the insurgents -- mainly from air strikes and shelling.

Analysts say the bloodshed was predictable -- or inevitable -- given the wording of the deal and the sweeping concessions the US granted its foe of more than 18 years.