Taliban announces three-day
ceasefire in Afghanistan
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| Muslims pray a the start of the Eid al-Fitr festival in Herat (AFP) |
The Taliban declares a three-day ceasefire in its conflict
with Afghanistan’s government, coinciding with the Muslim Eid al-Fitr feast
marking the end of Ramadan.
By Nathan Morley
The Taliban statement to call a temporary ceasefire came as
a surprise to many observers.
A spokesman said the group would not stage any attack on
“enemy” forces but would practice their right to self-defence against possible
threats during the next few days.
End of Ramadan
The Eid al-Fitr holiday marks the end of the Muslim holy
fasting month of Ramadan.
Unsurprisingly, the announcement was welcomed by Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani, who, in response, instructed his Armed Forces to comply
with the three-days truce.
In a further step, Ghani also vowed to speed up the release
of Taliban prisoners.
"As a responsible government we take one more step
forward – I announce that I will expedite the Taliban prisoner releases,"
he said.
Rare event
Since the invasion of Afghanistan by American forces in
2001, there has only been one other pause in the fighting. That was back in
2018, during the same holiday period.
The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan
Reconciliation was also enthusiastic about the development, adding: “other
positive steps should immediately follow.”
In Brussels, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the
announcement by the Afghanistan government and Taliban.
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