The family members of an Afghan soldier who was killed by the Taliban said they are ready to forgive the group if it chooses peace, and their decision is echoed by other families of victims around the country.

Government figures from last year stated that at least 45,000 Afghan security force members were killed in fighting between 2014 and 2019. Tens of thousands of civilians have also been killed over the last two decades, according to international sources.

However, the start of the direct peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar on Saturday between a team from Kabul and a team from the Taliban has raised hopes in the country that there is an end in sight to the bloody war.

TOLOnews reporter Sharif Amiri interviewed the family of Nasir Ahmad, a police soldier who served in the Afghan National Police for five years. His family said he was killed by the Taliban three weeks ago. The family lives in Qarabagh district of Kabul province, 48 kilometers north of the city of Kabul.

Nasir Ahmad’s son said his father possessed great hope for peace in the country.

“We will forgive (them). My father was martyred. We want an end to the war in the country,” said Bashir Ahmad, Ahmad’s eldest son.

“We don’t want war. We want peace so we can continue our education,” said Khoshal, Ahmad’s younger son.

Some residents of the district said the intra-Afghan negotiations have become a much-debated topic this week as the opening ceremony of the talks was held in Doha on Saturday.

“We want there to be no threat to the people. We want a situation in which farmers can do their farming and government officials can go to their jobs without any fear,” said Mohammad, a farmer in Qarabagh district.

The TOLOnews reporter also met with a man named Jawed who served in the Afghan army for four years but who left the army a month ago because of threats by the Taliban in his area. He said he is waiting for peace.

“We want a lasting peace so that we can do our job,” Jawed said.

The opening ceremony of the intra-Afghan negotiations was held in Doha on Saturday and was followed by two meetings between the contact groups from both sides to determine the agenda and guidelines for the first face-to-face meeting between the delegations.