The holy month of Ramadan is wrapping up this week, and there is hope that Afghanistan will be able to use this to get a permanent ceasefire. Already the Taliban has announced it is accepting a three-day ceasefire for the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
Eid ceasefires have happened in recent years, and allow celebrants of the end of Ramadan to feel a lot safer for a few days. Efforts to extend the ceasefires beyond that period has so far not happened. The Afghan government suggests this time that they just make the three days permanent.
The US endorsed the temporary ceasefire and urged both sides to make it permanent. With all factions expecting a permanent ceasefire to be reached sooner or later, this might be a good time for everyone to just get on board and end the fighting.
At the same time, tensions linger over the US reneging on the May 1 pullout date. Such a ceasefire would now likely have to come with the US revising its date again, and as reports of an early July date being considered, that might well happen. This would be the easiest way to facilitate the ceasefire that Afghanistan so desperately needs.
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