Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has declared a conditional ceasefire with the Taliban ahead of Eid al-Adha, effective from Monday.

In a televised address on Sunday, Ghani said the truce would be "until the prophet's birthday provided that the Taliban reciprocate", referring to the Prophet Muhammad's birthday which is celebrated on November 21 in Afghanistan.

Ghani, who was speaking during a ceremony to mark the 99th Independence Day of Afghanistan at the iconic Darul Aman palace in the capital, Kabul, said the decision was reached after extensive consultation with different segments of the Afghan society and Islamic scholars worldwide.

The Taliban did not respond to requests for comment immediately but released a statement saying that they planned to free "hundreds of prisoners" on the occasion of Eid.

Ghani's ceasefire announcement was limited to the Taliban and excluded other armed groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

It was immediately welcomed in neighbouring Pakistan.

"Pakistan fully supports all such efforts that contribute to achieving durable stability and lasting peace in Afghanistan, a spokesperson for Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.

"The people of Afghanistan deserve it. Coinciding with the Independence Day of Afghanistan, the announcement has an even greater significance."

Record number of civilians killed

The Afghan government had previously announced a ceasefire with the Taliban during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in June.

That truce, the first formal, nationwide ceasefire since the 2001 US invasion. was indirectly accepted by the Taliban for three days, but the group later rejected a call by the president to extend it, with attacks resuming shortly after.

Ghani's announcement follows a bloody week of fighting across Afghanistan which saw the Taliban launch a massive assault against the provincial capital Ghazni - just a two-hour drive from Kabul.

At least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians were killed in a five-day siege, which eased last week when Afghan soldiers backed by US forces pushed back the group's heavily armed fighters.

Blasts, suicide attacks and clashes between the Taliban and Afghan forces killed over 1,600 civilians in the first six months of the year, the highest number in the past decade, despite June's truce, the United Nations said in a statement on Sunday.

Published by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the report attributed 42 percent of civilian casualties to the Afghan Taliban and 18 percent to the ISIL, noting a fourfold increase in deaths and injuries caused by both the armed groups.

Afghan security forces have struggled to battle the Taliban and ISIL since the US and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in the country in 2014 and shifted their focus to a "support and counterterrorism" role.

Meanwhile, pro-government forces, including Afghan national security troops and international military forces, caused a fifth of the civilian casualties so far this year.</s>Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has called for a conditional cease-fire with Taliban insurgents for the duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday.



President Ghani made the announcement Sunday during celebrations of the 99th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence in the capital Kabul.



"The cease-fire should be observed from both sides, and its continuation and duration also depend on the Taliban's stand," Ghani stressed. He added that should the Taliban agree, it would be observed over Monday and Tuesday, the Eid holidays. He said he hoped extensions could also be agreed upon to make it last until Nov. 20, which will mark the birth anniversary of the Muslim prophet Muhammad.



The Taliban did not immediately respond to the announcement.



The government had previously announced a cease-fire with the Taliban during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in June. The Taliban accepted that three-day cease-fire, but later rejected a call by the president to extend it.



President Ghani's call comes just a day after the leader of the Afghan Taliban said that there will be no peace in Afghanistan as long as the "foreign occupation" continues, reiterating the group's position that the country's 17-year war can only be brought to an end through direct talks with the United States.



In a message released on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah said Saturday that the group remains committed to "Islamic goals," the sovereignty of Afghanistan and ending the war.



The Taliban have resurged in recent years, seizing districts across the country and regularly carrying out large-scale attacks.



Earlier this month, the Taliban launched a major assault on the city of Ghazni, just 75 miles from Kabul. Afghan security forces battled the militants inside the city for five days, as the U.S. carried out airstrikes and sent advisers to help ground forces.



The battle for Ghazni killed at least 100 members of the Afghan security forces and 35 civilians, according to Afghan officials.</s>Afghan president Ghani announces conditional ceasefire with Taliban for Eid al-Adha holiday; Taliban yet to respond

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan president Ghani announces conditional ceasefire with Taliban for Eid al-Adha holiday; Taliban yet to respond.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has announced a conditional cease-fire with Taliban insurgents for the duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

President Ghani made the announcement Sunday during celebrations of the 99th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence.

The "ceasefire can't be one sided," Ghani stressed.

The Taliban did not immediately respond to the announcement.

The government had previously announced a cease-fire with the Taliban during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in June. The Taliban accepted that three-day cease-fire, but later rejected a call by the president to extend it.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan president Ghani announces conditional ceasefire with Taliban for Eid al-Adha holiday; Taliban yet to respond.</s>KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday announced a ceasefire with Taliban insurgents from Monday to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, despite the heavy fighting seen over recent days in the central city of Ghazni.

“The conditional ceasefire will start tomorrow and it will continue as long as the Taliban preserves and respects it,” he said in an Afghan Independence Day ceremony in Kabul.

“We call on the leadership of the Taliban to welcome the wishes of Afghans for a long-lasting and real peace,” he said.

A senior official in Ghani’s office said the “conditional” ceasefire would run for three months.

It was not immediately clear whether the Taliban had accepted Ghani’s call for a truce during Eid, the annual Islamic feast of sacrifice, which officially begins on Tuesday.

This month the Taliban fought an intense battle with Afghan forces to control the strategically important city of Ghazni.

At least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians were killed in a five-day siege, which eased last week when Afghan soldiers backed by U.S. forces pushed back the heavily armed rebels.

The Taliban said in a statement that they had control over half of Afghanistan.

Blasts, suicide attacks and clashes between hardline Islamic militants and Afghan forces killed over 1,600 civilians in the first six months of the year, the highest number in the past decade, the United Nations said in a statement on Sunday.

Ghani’s ceasefire announcement was limited to the Taliban and excluded other militant groups such as Islamic State.</s>Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani declared a conditional cease-fire with the Taliban on Sunday in advance of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

Ghani announced the cease-fire would last at least three months to accommodate for the holiday, provided the Taliban also upholds the deal.

He also encouraged the Taliban to work with the government toward long-lasting peace, adding the cease-fire could be extended for as long as the Taliban is willing to cooperate.

"We call on the leadership of the Taliban to welcome the wishes of Afghans for a long lasting and real peace, and we urge them to get ready for peace-talks based on Islamic values and principles," he said. "The Afghan government has removed all obstacles for a long-lasting peace through these unprecedented steps."

The two sides reached their first cease-fire deal since the war began in 2001 in June, ahead of the three-day Muslim festival Eid al-Fitr.

Ghani ended the cease-fire after 18 days, while making an appeal to the Taliban to join a process toward peace.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised the decision and called on the Taliban to observe the terms of the cease-fire.

"I welcome President Ghani's announcement of a second cease-fire with the Taliban in Afghanistan. I encourage the Taliban to demonstrate their concern for Afghans by respecting it," Stoltenberg said.</s>KABUL — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday announced a ceasefire with Taliban insurgents beginning Monday to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, despite the heavy fighting seen over recent days in the central city of Ghazni.

“The conditional ceasefire will start tomorrow and it will continue as long as the Taliban preserves and respects it,” he said in an Afghan Independence Day ceremony in Kabul.

“We call on the leadership of the Taliban to welcome the wishes of Afghans for a long-lasting and real peace,” he said.

A senior official in Ghani’s office said the “conditional” ceasefire would run for three months. Eid is the annual Islamic feast of sacrifice, which officially begins on Tuesday.

In a statement obtained by NBC News on Saturday, the Taliban said peace in Afghanistan would be unattainable as long as Americans occupied the country.

“Bringing peace and security is from among the highest priorities of the Islamic Emirate, but peace will remain elusive during an occupation and neither is salvation possible without the establishment of an Islamic authority,” the statement read.

The statement went on to reiterate the group’s position that direct talks with the United States is the only way to bring the 17-year war with the nation to an end.

By Sunday, the Taliban was expected to approve of the ceasefire, but leaders of the group said it might not be announced publicly.

“We will convey it to our military commanders through our personal communication tools and would stop them to cease all their operations for four days. The ceasefire will be effective from Monday and conclude on Thursday,” said the Taliban shura member on condition of anonymity.

Taliban said that during the ceasefire, they will not attack the Afghan troops and other security forces but would defend themselves in case they came under attack.

This month the Taliban fought an intense battle with Afghan forces to control the strategically important city of Ghazni.

At least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians were killed in a five-day siege, which eased last week when Afghan soldiers backed by U.S. forces pushed back the heavily armed rebels.

The Taliban said in a statement that they had control over half of Afghanistan.

Blasts, suicide attacks and clashes between hardline Islamic militants and Afghan forces killed over 1,600 civilians in the first six months of the year, the highest number in the past decade, the United Nations said in a statement on Sunday.

Ghani’s ceasefire announcement was limited to the Taliban and excluded other militant groups such as Islamic State.</s>Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday announced a conditional three-month ceasefire with the Taliban starting on Monday.

“As we approach Eid-ul-Adha… we announce a ceasefire that would take effect from Monday, the day of Arafa, till the day of the birth of the prophet (PBUH), Milad-un-Nabi, provided that the Taliban reciprocate,” Ghani told a gathering celebrating the Independence Day, Xinhua reported.

The Afghan leader also called on Taliban leadership to welcome the wishes of Afghans for a long lasting and real peace.

“We urge the Taliban leadership to get ready for peace talks based on Islamic values and principles,” Ghani said, adding that the Afghan government has removed “all obstacles for a long lasting peace through these unprecedented steps.”

However, the Taliban group, which has repeatedly rejected an offer for peace talks with the Afghan government, has yet to react to President Ghani’s offer for ceasefire.

In June, the Afghan government announced a 17-day ceasefire to encourage the Taliban group to support the national reconciliation process.

Reciprocating the government step, the Taliban announced a three-day truce during Eid-ul-Fitr which marked end of fasting month.</s>KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a ceasefire with Taliban insurgents from Monday to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, days after fighting in the central city of Ghazni and a northern province.

Taliban sources said their leaders had also provisionally agreed a four-day truce during the annual Islamic feast of sacrifice, though supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada still had to give his final approval.

The militant movement said it would free hundreds of prisoners, without going into further details.

Fighting has been mounting in the Taliban’s insurgency against the government in Kabul and NATO coalition forces, launched after the Islamist group was ousted from power in a U.S.-led military intervention in 2001.

The truce announcement came a day after clashes erupted in the northern province of Faryab, an interior ministry official said. The Taliban had taken control of part of Bulcheragh district and more than 50 government forces were missing, he added.

This month at least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians were killed in a five-day battle for control of Ghazni. Afghan soldiers backed by U.S. forces managed to push back the heavily armed rebels last week.

Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations said blasts, suicide attacks and clashes killed more than 1,600 civilians in the first six months of the year, the highest number in the past decade.

“The conditional ceasefire will start tomorrow and it will continue as long as the Taliban preserves and respects it,” Ghani said in a ceremony celebrating 99 years of independence from British rule.

“We call on the leadership of the Taliban to welcome the wishes of Afghans for a long-lasting and real peace,” he added.

A senior official in Ghani’s office said the conditional ceasefire would run for three months, until the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday which Afghanistan celebrate on Nov.21.

It would only cover the Taliban, not other groups including Islamic State, officials said.

Since the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops in 2014, the Taliban has made slow but steady gains, now controlling or contesting more than 40 percent of Afghanistan.

In June this year, Ghani announced an unconditional ceasefire with the Taliban for about two weeks. The Taliban observed a ceasefire over the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival but rejected the government’s request to extend it.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the ceasefire and said the United States was ready to support and facilitate direct peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. “It is time for peace,” he said in a statement.

Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, tweeted that he encouraged the Taliban “to demonstrate their concern for Afghans by respecting (the ceasefire)”.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani calls for a conditional cease-fire with Taliban insurgents for the duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday.