A continuing cessation of hostilities and an uptick in exchange of Taliban and government prisoners has given the Afghan peace process, often fragile and near collapse at times, a new lease on life, EDNews.net reports citing Anadolu Agency.

Analysts believe the three main sides in the decades-long conflict – Kabul, the Taliban, and the US – have covered a lot of ground in the march towards a sustainable peace deal.

However, it is also a shared view that they are pressed for time and on a path that remains tricky, as each side’s strategy oscillates between diplomatic bargaining, tactical maneuvers, and all-out use of muscle.

“The Taliban should continue with the cease-fire announced on Eid al-Fitr [Muslim festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan], which proved blissful for the people, and move away from extremist movements, so that peace negotiations can begin soon,” President Ashraf Ghani said this week, a statement reflecting Kabul’s softer stance towards the insurgent group.

Since the landmark peace deal between the US and the Taliban back in February, only cautiously welcomed by the Afghan government as it was largely kept out of it, the implementation of the accord has faced many bumps, causing more bloodshed, finger-pointing, and deeper mistrust.

The release of some 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for 1,000 captive Afghan security personnel, along with a reduction in violence, was one of the main conditions for the intra-Afghan peace talks that were originally scheduled for March.

Now, after months of delay, Abdullah Abdullah, the man tasked to lead Kabul’s negotiating team, has hinted the discussions may finally begin by mid-June.

Against the Afghan government’s desire for a complete cease-fire, a newly coined phrase of “reduction in violence” was included in the agreement, making the situation vaguer, sparking a blame game, and increasing concerns over the role of elements that have come to be known as “spoilers”.