On 29 February, the Taliban and the U.S. signed an agreement that commits the U.S. to a fourteen-month phased withdrawal of military forces in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a safe harbour for terrorists. The agreement also obligates the Taliban to commence peace negotiations with the Afghan government and other Afghan power-brokers.

The Afghan government has criticized the Taliban for rejecting Kabul’s negotiating team for upcoming intra-Afghan peace talks aimed at ending the nearly 19-year war.

Insurgents launched major assaults as preparations continued for a prisoner exchange and as diplomats worked to revive the peace plan.

The Taliban declined on Saturday to begin talks with the Afghan government’s new negotiating team in a setback to the U.S.-brokered peace process for one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.