Afghanistan moves towards three days of cease-fire for Eid al-Fitr

Text by: RFI Follow

The Taliban announced a cease-fire this Saturday, May 23, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of Ramadan which is due to begin on Sunday. President Ashraf Ghani immediately agreed.

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The Taliban surprised by unilaterally declaring a three-day ceasefire so that their citizens could celebrate the Eid holidays. In its statement, the insurgent leadership orders its combatants to "  take special measures for the security of their compatriots, and not to launch offensive operations against the enemy  ", but they can defend themselves if they are attacked.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accepted the Taliban offer and ordered his troops to abide by the terms. "  As commander-in-chief, I told the ANDSF (the national defense and security forces) to respect this three-day truce and to defend yourself only in the event of an attack,  " said he tweeted, welcoming the Taliban’s announcement.

It is the first time that the Taliban has called on itself to lay down arms since an international coalition led by the United States ousted them from power in late 2001. In late April, they rejected a ceasefire offer the fire of Ashraf Ghani on the occasion of Ramadan, which they had described as "  not rational or convincing  ".

The Taliban intensified their attacks on the Afghan security forces just after signing an agreement with the United States at the end of February in Doha to withdraw foreign troops from Afghanistan within 14 months in exchange for security consideration. They have carried out more than 3,800 attacks since March, killing 420 civilians and injuring 906 others, according to Afghan authorities on Monday. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Manua), in a report released on Tuesday, identified 208 civilians killed in April by rebels, a figure up 25% compared to April 2019.

Ashraf Ghani, who has been asking for ceasefire requests for years, had come to a three-day cessation of fighting in June 2018 on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. Surprising scenes of fraternization between Taliban fighters and members of the Afghan security forces had then occurred, the two camps hugging and taking pictures. The Taliban also respected a nine-day partial truce from February 22 to March 2 on the signing of the Doha agreement with the Americans.

( With AFP)

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• Afghanistan
• Taliban