Afghan truce declared for Eid holiday

KABUL, Afghanistan－The Taliban and the Afghan government on Monday declared a three-day cease-fire for the Eid al-Fitr holiday this week marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The cease-fire would begin on either Wednesday or Thursday. The Muslim calendar follows lunar cycles and the Eid holiday depends on the sighting of the new moon.

Just hours after the pending cease-fire was announced, a bus in southern Zabul Province struck a roadside mine killing 11 people, said Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian. At least 28 more people on the bus were injured. Improvised explosive devices litter the countryside and have been used extensively by the Taliban.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said Taliban fighters have been ordered to stop all offensives, "to provide a peaceful and secure atmosphere to our compatriots, …so that they may celebrate this joyous occasion with a greater peace of mind".

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani later on Monday ordered government forces to match the three-day cease-fire offer from the Taliban, the presidential palace said.

A statement said Ghani had told Afghan security forces to "observe the cease-fire" announced earlier by the Taliban, adding he also urged the insurgents to announce a permanent truce to end the war.

The cease-fire announcements came amid heightened violence in the country and follows a brutal attack on a girls' school on Saturday evening that killed as many 68 people, most of them students between 11-15 years old. The death toll from the three explosions continues to climb.

Ghani on Saturday blamed Taliban insurgents, but a spokesman for the group denied any responsibility and condemned the attack, which occurred in the mostly Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi in the west of the capital. The president has declared a national mourning day for Tuesday.

Intensified security

Security was intensified across Kabul after the attack but authorities said they would not be able to provide security to all schools, mosques and other public places.

Conflict is raging in Afghanistan, with security forces in daily combat with the Taliban, who have waged war to overthrow the government since they were ousted from power in Kabul in 2001.

Attacks in the area are most often claimed by the Afghan Islamic State affiliate, but no group yet has claimed responsibility for the attack on the school.

The cease-fire announcement also came as the United States and NATO are withdrawing the last of their military forces. The final 2,500-3,500 US soldiers and roughly 7,000 allied NATO forces will leave by Sept 11 at the latest.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Saturday's attack and expressed his deepest sympathies to the victims' families and to the Afghan government and people.

On Twitter, China's ambassador to Afghanistan, Wang Yu, said the abrupt US announcement of a complete withdrawal of forces had led to a succession of attacks throughout the country.

"China calls on foreign troops in Afghanistan to take into full account the security of people in the country and the region, pull out in a responsible manner, and avoid inflicting more turmoil and suffering on the Afghan people," he said.

Agencies - Xinhua