Optimism among Afghans regarding the country's peace process has decreased significantly in the past few months amid a spike in violence, according to a survey released on December 11.
The Institute of War and Peace Studies found optimism had dropped to 57 percent when the survey was conducted from September 29 to October 18. That’s down from 86 percent of those surveyed according to the previous assessment conducted over the summer and released in August.
Ongoing peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatar had been at an impasse until last week, when in a breakthrough, the two sides agreed on rules and procedures for the negotiations.
However, since the Afghan-Taliban talks started in September, violence has spiked significantly. The Taliban has staged deadly attacks on Afghan forces while keeping its promise not to attack U.S. and NATO troops. The attacks have drawn a mighty retaliation by the Afghan Air Force, backed by U.S. warplanes. International rights groups have warned both sides to avoid inflicting civilian casualties.
The Kabul-based think tank found the 75.9 percent of survey respondents said a cease-fire should be the top priority of the intra-Afghan talks.
Additionally, 71 percent of those polled did not want to dissolve the country’s army and security forces after a peace deal. Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has denounced the idea.
Another 64 percent were also against any fundamental reforms to the structure of the country's security forces, something the Taliban has insisted on, saying these forces were created by foreign powers.
The institute polled 8,627 people across Afghanistan's 34 provinces -- 58 percent men and 42 percent women — and received funding to conduct the survey from the European Union and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The survey had a 5 percent margin of error.
A few districts in some provinces were not surveyed due to high levels of violence and instability, as well as issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, the institute said.
The Taliban now controls or holds sway over half the country, and is at its most powerful since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
In a report earlier this year, Washington’s Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, which monitors billions of dollars in U.S. aid to the country, said Afghanistan may not be ready for peace unless it finds a way to reintegrate Taliban fighters into society and combat “endemic corruption.”