Taliban, Ghani declare three-day ceasefire for Eid holiday

The deal was also touted at the time as Afghanistan's best chance for peace

Afghanistan Peace Talks Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader, second from left, arrives with other members of the Taliban delegation for talks in Moscow, Russia. The seventh and latest round of peace talks between the US and Taliban | AP

The Taliban and Afghanistan's president announced late Saturday a three-day ceasefire ahead of a major Islamic holiday that begins Sunday to mark the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramzan.

The Taliban order, which was soon followed by an announcement via Twitter from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announcing the government "extends the offer of peace", comes just days after US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in Kabul and Doha.

Khalilzad on his trip urged both the Taliban and the Afghan government to reduce violence and move ahead with intra-Afghan negotiations, a key pillar of a US peace deal with the Taliban signed in February to allow American troops to leave Afghanistan. 

The deal was also touted at the time as Afghanistan's best chance for peace after nearly four decades of war.

The Taliban's cease-fire announcement follows an Eid al-Fitr message from the Taliban leader which said the insurgent group was committed to the peace deal, was not seeking to monopolise power and promised to guarantee the rights of women and men under an Islamic system.

The directive ordered Taliban fighters not to fight but also not to fraternize with Afghan national security forces. The instructions seemed intended to avoid images that circulated during the last cease-fire in 2018, also during Eid celebrations, including Taliban fighters sharing ice cream and laughing with Afghan national security force soldiers.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement and urged all parties "to seize the opportunity and embrace an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process", UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Guterres, who called for a cease-fire in all global conflicts on March 23 to tackle the coronavirus pandemic stressed that "only a peace settlement can bring an end to the suffering in Afghanistan" and said that "the United Nations is committed to supporting the people and government of Afghanistan in this important endeavour", the spokesman said.

In instructions issued Saturday, Taliban fighters were told "not to attack the enemy in any place but if there is attack from enemy in any place then a befitting defensive response shall be given". The order also warned Taliban fighters against entering "enemy" territory.