The Afghan branch of the Taliban terrorist group on Saturday announced a three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday. However, the Taliban said the ceasefire did not include cessation of hostilities against foreign troops, Tolo News reported. It is also not clear when the ceasefire would take effect.
In a statement sent to the media, the Taliban said its militants would not launch attacks against Afghan security forces, but would retaliate if necessary. The group’s statement came after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a unilateral ceasefire on Thursday, from June 12 to June 19.
“This ceasefire is an opportunity for Taliban to introspect that their violent campaign is not winning them hearts and minds but further alienating,” Ghani had said. “With the ceasefire announcement, we epitomise the strength of the Afghan government and the will of the people for a peaceful resolution to the Afghan conflict.”
The decision came after a meeting of Islamic clerics from across the country who issued a fatwa against suicide bombings. More than 2,000 religious scholars attended the event, which was attacked by a suicide bombe. They also recommended the ceasefire with the terror group.
On Saturday, the Taliban also said that its shadow governors in Afghanistan’s provinces should identify and release prisoners who could provide guarantees that they would not pose a threat to the group in future. The group also asked its fighters to make arrangements for families of prisoners to visit them over Eid.
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