1 00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:04,000 NICK SCHIFRIN: For months, American diplomats have been negotiating with the Taliban leaders 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,200 to find a way to end the war in Afghanistan. 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:11,433 American officials were hoping the Taliban would announce this week a suspension of fighting. 4 00:00:11,433 --> 00:00:16,033 But the details of such an agreement, how long would it last, how much area would it 5 00:00:16,033 --> 00:00:18,066 cover, remain to be worked out. 6 00:00:18,066 --> 00:00:22,866 Meanwhile, the U.S.' longest war grinds on with attacks every day by both the U.S. and 7 00:00:23,466 --> 00:00:25,400 the Taliban. 8 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,733 What is life like for Afghans who live in territory controlled by the Taliban? 9 00:00:28,733 --> 00:00:33,733 Special correspondent Jane Ferguson traveled to Wardak province for a rare look at life 10 00:00:34,500 --> 00:00:36,633 behind Taliban lines. 11 00:00:36,633 --> 00:00:41,300 JANE FERGUSON: Efforts to end America's longest war are once again ramping up. This time, 12 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:49,633 the U.S. is pushing for a cease-fire before signing a deal with the Taliban. 13 00:00:49,633 --> 00:00:54,600 That crucial gesture could be agreed to at any moment. In Taliban-controlled areas like 14 00:00:56,533 --> 00:01:00,900 this, a cease-fire, however long it lasts, could change the lives of many. 15 00:01:03,433 --> 00:01:06,033 Little Agha Waheed tells me his favorite subjects. He doesn't know his age, but he knows he loves 16 00:01:10,333 --> 00:01:15,333 school. Nearly half the population of Afghanistan is under 15 years old, and as long as the 17 00:01:16,733 --> 00:01:21,133 war continues, this will be the next generation of fighters. 18 00:01:23,133 --> 00:01:26,666 Excited shouts fill the air, as dozens of little boys arrive for class. It's late afternoon, 19 00:01:28,733 --> 00:01:32,166 but there are so many children living in this area and so few schools, they learn in shifts. 20 00:01:34,100 --> 00:01:38,766 These kids have only ever known a life in wartime. Their home in Wardak province is 21 00:01:40,700 --> 00:01:43,766 just 30 miles outside the capital, Kabul, but it's firmly in Taliban control. Fighters 22 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,033 living among them are a normal part of life. 23 00:01:47,033 --> 00:01:52,000 A real peace deal in Afghanistan would give these boys a chance at living peaceful lives. 24 00:01:54,033 --> 00:01:58,033 While the Taliban rules this region with the gun, money for the very few public services 25 00:01:58,033 --> 00:02:00,700 still comes from Kabul. 26 00:02:00,700 --> 00:02:05,000 Schools in Taliban areas are still technically state schools. They are funded by the government, 27 00:02:07,100 --> 00:02:11,433 and the people who work in them are technically government workers. It's simply that the areas 28 00:02:11,433 --> 00:02:16,433 around them and the communities that these kids come from are dominated by the Taliban. 29 00:02:18,366 --> 00:02:22,033 This is one of the most violent parts of the country. I traveled here to Wardak province, 30 00:02:24,066 --> 00:02:26,866 sneaking through Afghan army checkpoints dressed as a local Afghan woman, to see what life 31 00:02:26,866 --> 00:02:31,866 is like for people living under the Taliban and close to the fighting. 32 00:02:33,833 --> 00:02:37,033 The insurgent group agreed to allow us this rare access, yet they keep a watchful eye 33 00:02:37,900 --> 00:02:40,000 and escort us everywhere. 34 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,766 MUJIB RAHMAN, Teacher (through translator): Sometimes, the boys join the Taliban because 35 00:02:42,766 --> 00:02:47,166 of what they go through in the situation here. It affects them inside, when their relatives 36 00:02:47,166 --> 00:02:49,300 were killed. 37 00:02:49,300 --> 00:02:53,133 JANE FERGUSON: Mujib Rahman is a teacher here. He says life on the front line of this war 38 00:02:55,166 --> 00:02:58,600 has taken a terrible toll on the children. It's the kind of stress even an adult would 39 00:02:59,233 --> 00:03:00,900 struggle with. 40 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:04,000 But despite all the hardship, these boys dream of a better life. 41 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,966 MUJIB RAHMAN (through translator): I am hopeful that, in the future, they will have access 42 00:03:08,966 --> 00:03:11,800 to more education and they will get to go to college. 43 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,800 JANE FERGUSON: People in these areas are surviving between two violent sides in this war. 44 00:03:18,766 --> 00:03:22,333 His colleague, Esmatullah Omari, told us that, when government soldiers come to raid nearby 45 00:03:22,333 --> 00:03:25,600 villages, they enter the school and use it as a base. 46 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,533 ESMATULLAH OMARI, Teacher (through translator): Whenever the security forces come, they break 47 00:03:29,533 --> 00:03:33,600 the doors and come in here and take our notebooks and stationary. Can you tell the security 48 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:35,666 forces not to come to our school? 49 00:03:35,666 --> 00:03:40,100 JANE FERGUSON: There are no girls at this school, and one person, who asked not to be 50 00:03:40,100 --> 00:03:44,566 named, told us the Taliban banned girls from attending. 51 00:03:44,566 --> 00:03:49,200 We asked the commander in the area about Taliban policy on schooling for girls. 52 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:54,200 MAN (through translator): We have education for girls and boys in separate schools. We 53 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,700 have created an educational atmosphere for them in our areas. They are enjoying their 54 00:04:00,366 --> 00:04:02,433 education. 55 00:04:02,433 --> 00:04:05,700 JANE FERGUSON: Yet, despite his assurances, in a nearby village, we found one small religious 56 00:04:05,700 --> 00:04:10,600 school with only three little girls inside. They were terrified when they saw the Taliban 57 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:12,666 gunmen with us. 58 00:04:12,666 --> 00:04:17,166 Getting an education can sometimes seem like a luxury for an entire generation of children 59 00:04:17,166 --> 00:04:22,166 just trying to survive this war. The United Nations says this is the most deadly war in 60 00:04:24,133 --> 00:04:27,933 the world today and, in a report released earlier this month, said nine children are 61 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,866 killed or maimed every day. 62 00:04:30,866 --> 00:04:35,033 It's an increase over previous years, mainly due to suicide bombings by the Taliban and 63 00:04:36,466 --> 00:04:39,033 fighting between the group and Afghan and American forces. 64 00:04:39,033 --> 00:04:44,033 Taliban land mines blow up civilians travelling by road, and American airstrikes also claim 65 00:04:46,066 --> 00:04:49,300 many lives here. This area is constantly under surveillance, being watched from the sky. 66 00:04:51,266 --> 00:04:54,133 We are not going to stay very much longer where we are, because we have attracted a 67 00:04:54,133 --> 00:04:59,133 bit of a crowd of people. The -- and we can hear surveillance, some sort of surveillance 68 00:05:01,966 --> 00:05:04,000 aircraft above us. 69 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,000 We soon spotted several helicopters flying overhead. 70 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:12,000 A peace deal has the potential to change everything for these people, but would only be the first 71 00:05:13,866 --> 00:05:18,400 step in a long, difficult road to a lasting peace in Afghanistan. 72 00:05:20,300 --> 00:05:23,833 The next step, getting the Taliban to agree to share power and put down their weapons, 73 00:05:25,266 --> 00:05:28,166 will be harder than announcing the pullout of American troops. 74 00:05:28,166 --> 00:05:31,800 These Taliban commanders foresee no compromise on the horizon. 75 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,800 MAN (through translator): Our struggle will continue until either America ends its occupation 76 00:05:37,666 --> 00:05:39,700 of Afghanistan or judgment day. 77 00:05:39,700 --> 00:05:44,433 JANE FERGUSON: If the Americans leave, and there is peace in Afghanistan, would you still 78 00:05:44,433 --> 00:05:46,466 consider them your enemy? 79 00:05:46,466 --> 00:05:51,300 MAN (through translator): Yes, of course. The infidels are our enemy until the day of 80 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:54,833 judgment. We will continue to fight them. 81 00:05:54,833 --> 00:05:59,066 JANE FERGUSON: Navigating an end to this war is among America's greatest foreign policy 82 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,866 challenges today. 83 00:06:01,866 --> 00:06:05,833 For children like Agha, it would mean a chance at a different life, a life the generation 84 00:06:06,700 --> 00:06:09,366 before him has only dreamed of. 85 00:06:09,366 --> 00:06:14,233 For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jane Ferguson in Wardak, Afghanistan.