Afghanistan: Taliban announce three-day Eid ceasefire with government

(FASTNEWS | COLOMBO) – The Taliban have announced a ceasefire with the Afghan government that will take effect when the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr begins on Sunday.

It follows a rise in attacks by the hardline Islamist group against government troops in recent weeks.

President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the announcement, and said his soldiers would respect the terms of the truce.

The three-day ceasefire is likely to raise hopes of a longer-term reduction in violence in the country.

But a similar ceasefire was announced for the same festival in 2018 and was not extended.