Afghanistan announces ceasefire with Taliban for Eid

KABUL: Afghanistan announced Thursday a week-long ceasefire with the Taliban for Eid, the holiday that caps off Ramazan, though operations against other groups including Islamic State will continue.

The ceasefire, which would bring some welcome relief to war-weary civilians, will last “from the 27th of Ramadan until the fifth day of Eid-al-Fitr,” President Ashraf Ghani tweeted from an official account, indicating it could run from June 12-19.

It was not immediately clear if the Taliban would agree to the ceasefire, which would be the first during Eid since the US invasion in 2001.

“We are checking with our officials regarding the ceasefire announcement,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a French wire service.

The surprise declaration comes on the heels of a fatwa issued by Afghanistan’s top clerics branding suicide attacks “haram”, or forbidden, and after the Pentagon announced that senior Taliban officials had been negotiating with Afghan officials on a possible ceasefire.

Nearly 17 years after they were toppled from power, the Taliban are resurgent, with Afghan forces — who have taken the lead in the conflict since NATO combat troops pulled out in 2014 — struggling to contain them, while civilians pay a disproportionate price in the fighting.

“(T)he Afghan government directs all the security and defence forces of the country… to stop all the attacks on the Taliban, but the operation will continue against Daesh (Islamic State), Al-Qaeda and other international terrorist networks,” Ghani said in an official statement.

Ghani added that more details about the ceasefire will be revealed during a “massive gathering” next week but did not elaborate further.

Last month, the Pentagon said that ceasefire negotiations with the Taliban were ongoing.

However analysts were sceptical of any positive response, saying Ghani’s announcement appeared to be unilateral.

Kabul-based political analyst Haroon Mir said the Taliban were “highly unlikely” to agree to a ceasefire.

Calling it “symbolic”, he said Ghani was “probably trying to strengthen his political position and present himself as a more serious peacemaker”.

“I doubt this announcement will change anything on the ground,” he added.