Afghan Taliban announces three-day Eid ceasefire

The Afghan Taliban has announced a three-day Eid ceasefire starting on Sunday, a spokesman for the armed group said in a statement, in a move following months of bloody fighting with security forces.

The Taliban statement also instructed its fighters to refrain from entering government areas and also said that Kabul forces were not allowed to enter territories under their control.

"The leadership instructs all the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate to take special measures for security for the countrymen, and conduct no offensive operation against the enemy anywhere," Taliban spokesman ZabihullahMujahid said in a statement.

Following the Taliban announcement, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the group's offer of a three-day ceasefire and ordered his forces to also comply.

"I welcome the ceasefire announcement by the Taliban," Ghani said on Twitter.

"As commander-in-chief, I have instructed ANDSF to comply with the three-day truce and to defend only if attacked," he said, using the acronym for the Afghan National Defence Security Force.

In a similar holiday truce in 2018, there were unprecedented scenes of fighters from opposite sides embracing each other and taking selfies.

Dhaka/Mukul