contact and see their families."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed Ghani's speech, saying peace negotiations would require a discussion of what role "international actors and forces" play in Afghanistan.

"The United States is prepared to support, facilitate, and participate in these discussions," Pompeo said in a statement.

"The United States stands ready to work with the Afghan government, the Taliban, and all the people of Afghanistan to reach a peace agreement and political settlement that brings a permanent end to this war," Pompeo added.

The United Nations Assistance Mission In Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a June 16 statement that it "commends" the Afghan government and the Taliban "for honoring the cease-fires" and "welcomes" Ghani's announcement on extending the truce beyond Eid.

The extension of the cease-fire "provides a clear opportunity forinitiating a negotiated solution to the conflict," Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan and the head of UNAMA, said. "This opportunity cannot be missed."

Earlier on June 16, dozens of unarmed Taliban entered the Afghan capital to celebrate Eid.

"A number of Taliban members who handed over their weapons at the entrances of Kabul have entered the city," Kabul police spokesman Hashmatollah Stanikzai told RFE/RL.

Reuters reported that Afghan Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak met Taliban fighters in the capital on June 15 as the two sides marked the Eid cease-fire.

Meanwhile, videos and photos posted on news sites and social media showed soldiers and Taliban greeting and hugging each other and taking selfies in several provinces.

Despite more aggressive military operations against the Taliban under a new approach adopted