Many Afghans view Saturday's expected signing of a US-Taliban peace deal with a heavy dose of well-earned skepticism.
They've spent decades living in a country at war some their whole lives and wonder if they can ever reach a state of peace.
The deal is meant to set the stage for a U.S. troop withdrawal and to usher in talks among Afghans on both sides of the conflict about their country's future.
There's been bitter squabbling among political leaders, concern of a temporary truce being undermined, and the challenge of uniting a fractured country remains daunting.
Arash, an Afghan policeman in the capital of Kabul, was 7 years old when a U.S.-led military coalition ousted the Taliban government in 2001. The U.S. was retaliating for the Taliban harboring Osama Bin Laden while he masterminded the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
"We've had no escape from war," said Arash, who only gave his first name because he had not received permission from his superiors to speak to reporters.
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He said he and his colleagues want peace, but that political leaders are only thirsty for power, not for peace. He said the Taliban are fellow Afghans and that we should have peace with them. Afghanistan's economy has been wracked by 18 years of fighting, despite billions of dollars spent on nation building. Some 55% live in poverty, or less than $1 a day, up from 34% in 2012.
On a recent chilly Kabul morning, dozens of laborers waited to be picked up for a day's work. Dressed in tattered paint-splattered clothes, some carrying their own paintbrushes, they squatted on the sidewalk in the heart of the capital, where new high-rise buildings butt up against small dingy shops.
"Everyone is looking for work. There are thousands and thousands like us all over the city," said Qatradullah, who like many Afghans goes by just one name. He said he favors the peace deal and hopes it will bring jobs, but that government corruption has been crippling. He said the vast sums pumped into Afghanistan have "gone into the pockets of our leaders. Transparency International last year ranked Afghanistan 173rd of 180 countries it monitors, scoring it 16 out of 100.
President Donald Trump has been critical of Washington's spending in Afghanistan.
"We're really serving, not as a military force, as we are a police force," Trump said earlier this week while on a visit to India. They have to police their own country."
Hamid Gailani, an Afghan negotiator in preliminary talks, said that the biggest challenge that I see is the political turmoil (in Kabul), and that needs to be resolved."