KABUL (REUTERS)The Taleban declared a three-day Eid ceasefire in Afghanistan starting Sunday (May 24), via a tweet on Saturday from the hardline Islamist group, and the country's president said the government would reciprocate.
The move came as fighting between both sides had intensified despite the coronavirus pandemic.
"Do not carry out any offensive operations against the enemy anywhere, if any action is taken against you by the enemy, defend yourself," Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taleban spokesman, tweeted.
He added that the ceasefire was declared solely for Eid festivities marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the Taleban's ceasefire announcement and extended the offer of peace.
"As Commander-in-Chief I've instructed ANDSF (Afghan National Defence and Security Forces) to comply with the three-days truce and to defend only if attacked," he said in a tweet.
The previous month, the Taleban rejected a government call for a ceasefire across Afghanistan for Ramadan, saying a truce was"not rational" as they ramped up attacks on Afghan forces.
At least 146 civilians were killed and 430 wounded by the Taleban during Ramadan, Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the country's main intelligence and security office in Kabul, said on Saturday.