J.p. Lawrence

Armed alleged Taliban watch a convoy Army National Army pass through in Logar province during unprecedented mutual cease-fires between the Taliban and the Afghan government over the weekend. Soldiers of the Afghan National Army’s 203rd Corps ventured peacefully to a Taliban stronghold after armed Taliban walked past military checkpoints without firing Friday. J.p. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

A member of the Afghan Local Police watches the aftermath of bombings by American F-16 fighter-bombers against a key valley in Deh Bala district in Nangarhar province July 7. The so-called “terrain-denial” attacks come during cleanup operations in the region, after military officials said an offensive beginning in April and ending in June captured Gurgoray, the purported capital of Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan. J.p. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes

Afghan farmer Allah Dad fled with his five children last month from drought-stricken Baghdis province to camps on the outskirts of Herat. Approximately 20,000 Afghans displaced from their drought-ravaged farms in Ghor, Baghis and Faryab provinces await national and international aid in Herat. Allah Dad, who distrusts the government in Kabul, said,"If the government was capable of doing anything, they would have helped us already." J.p. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes.

A man flying an Afghan flag passes soldiers of the Afghan National Army’s 203rd Corps as they venture to a Taliban stronghold in Logar province, a mission only made possible by unprecedented mutual cease-fires between the Taliban and the Afghan government over the weekend. J.p. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Dog handler Mohammed Sharif and his mine detection dog Olga, a seven-year-old Malinois, practice for obedience training at the Mine Detection Center in Kabul – a program that began as a U.S funded pilot program in 1989 and has cleared more than 170 million square meters of minefields. The program has 140 mine detection dogs trained to sniff out mines. J.p. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Pfc. Nicholas Millan of 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group and a native of Lancaster, Calif., peers through a scope while manning Observation Post Krakken, a checkpoint overlooking a key valley in Deh Bala district in Nangarhar province July 7. A U.S. Special Forces team and Afghan commandos manned OP Krakken in the face of heavy fire during operations beginning in April and ending in June that captured Gurgoray, the purported capital of Islamic State fighters in the region, military officials said. J.p. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes

A man flying a Taliban flag passes soldiers of the Afghan National Army’s 203rd Corps as they venture to a Taliban stronghold in Logar province, a mission only made possible by unprecedented mutual cease-fires between the Taliban and the Afghan government over the weekend. J.p. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

A M-240B machine gunner’s view of the aftermath of a bombing run by an U.S. F-16 fighter-bomber against positions held by Islamic State militants in Deh Bala district in Nangarhar province July 7. The so-called “terrain-denial” attacks come during cleanup operations in the region, after military officials said an offensive beginning in April and ending in June captured Gurgoray, the purported capital of Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan. J.p. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes

In Pul-e-Alam, provincial capital of Logar, men flying both Taliban and Afghan flags climbed aboard military vehicles for impromptu parades, took selfies, and hugged government soldiers and police officers during unprecedented mutual cease-fires between the Taliban and the Afghan government over the weekend. Across the country, photos of Taliban and government troops spread online during the cease-fires. J.p. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes