Afghan forces rescued nearly 150 people hours after their abduction by Taliban militants. The militants, however, escaped with 21 people following a battle in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. The quick response marked a rare battlefield success for the government after weeks of continuing attacks. A government spokesman said tribal leaders were trying to negotiate their release. The Taliban have been fighting the U.S.-backed Afghan government for nearly 17 years. Recently, they have stepped up attacks, seizing rural areas and launching major attacks against government forces every day. Earlier this month, the militants seized several neighborhoods in Ghazni, a city 120 kilometers from the capital, Kabul. It took more than five days for government forces to re-take the city with help from U.S. airstrikes and advisers. The battle for Ghazni killed at least 100 government troops and 35 civilians. The Defense Ministry said about 200 militants were killed. The latest attack came a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani proposed a holiday ceasefire. The proposal would be conditional on the Taliban halting attacks and could last up to three months. Ceasefire and prison releases Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansoori said on Monday the government would continue its operations against the Taliban until their leadership announces an official ceasefire. However, he added, the Afghan security forces will continue their operations against other Islamic State militants and drug smugglers. Taliban sources said their leaders had told local commanders to stop fighting for four days this week during the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Adha. But they were not likely to officially announce anything, the sources said. Chakhansoori also said the Afghanistan government had asked the Taliban for a prisoner list for possible release over Eid. He said the government would consider releasing Taliban prisoners that were old, sick, or who had finished jail terms or were declared free by courts. The Taliban said they would also release a number of prisoners over Eid. The US ready to support From the United States, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that the U.S. is ready to support direct negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Pompeo said in a statement, "The United States welcomes the announcement by the Afghan government of a cease-fire conditioned on Taliban participation. This plan responds to the clear and continued call of the Afghan people for peace.” "The last cease-fire in Afghanistan revealed the deep desire of the Afghan people to end the conflict, and we hope another ceasefire will move the country closer to sustainable security," the statement added. The last ceasefire was in June and lasted for three days. I’m Phil Dierking. Ayesha Tanzeem and Ayaz Gul reported this story for VOA News. Phil Dierking adapted the story for Learning English with additional materials from the Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor. Do you think violent conflicts should stop during religious holidays? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story response - n. something that is said or written as a reply to something participate - v. to take part in an activity or event with others​ smuggle - v. to take or bring (something) secretly​ source - n. someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed​ reveal - v. to make (something) known sustainable - adj. able to last or continue for a long time​<doc-sep>Washington (AFP) - The United States on Sunday welcomed the announcement by Kabul of a provisional ceasefire with the Taliban, saying the plan "responds to the clear and continued call of the Afghan people." The announcement by President Ashraf Ghani followed a bloody week of fighting across Afghanistan which saw the Taliban launch a massive assault against the provincial capital Ghazni. It came after a brief, unprecedented ceasefire earlier in June. "The last ceasefire in Afghanistan revealed the deep desire of the Afghan people to end the conflict, and we hope another ceasefire will move the country closer to sustainable security," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. "The United States and our international partners support this initiative by the Afghan people and the Afghan government, and we call on the Taliban to participate. "It is our hope, and that of the international community, that the Afghan people may celebrate Eid al-Adha this year in peace, free from fear," he added, referring to the Islamic holiday that starts next week. Ghani declared the latest ceasefire in a televised broadcast on Sunday on the condition that the Taliban reciprocated. "I once again announce a ceasefire from tomorrow until the prophet's birthday provided that the Taliban reciprocate," said Ghani, referring to the Prophet Mohammed's birthday which Afghanistan celebrates on November 21. The president's announcement was immediately welcomed in neighboring Pakistan, which has long been accused of fostering links with the Taliban's leadership and providing sanctuary to its fighters, and by NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. But it drew mixed responses among Afghans. Some analysts said it might be perceived as an act of desperation by the government following mounting battlefield pressure from insurgents.<doc-sep>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.<doc-sep>(This August 20 story corrects paragraph 11 to say Taliban commander is based in Afghanistan and not Pakistan.) KABUL/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Taliban rejected on Monday an Afghan government offer of a ceasefire and said they would persist with their attacks, militant commanders said, while insurgents ambushed three buses and nearly 200 passengers traveling for a holiday. Two Taliban commanders said their supreme leader rejected President Ashraf Ghani’s Sunday offer of a three-month ceasefire, beginning with this week’s Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday. In June, the Taliban observed a government ceasefire over the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival, leading to unprecedented scenes of government soldiers and militants embracing on front lines, and raising hopes for talks. But one of the Taliban commanders said the June ceasefire had helped U.S. forces, who the Taliban are trying to drive out of the country. Taliban leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada rejected the new offer on the grounds that it too would only help the American-led mission. “Our leadership feels that they’ll prolong their stay in Afghanistan if we announced a ceasefire now,” a senior Taliban commander, who declined to be identified, said by telephone. An official in Ghani’s office said the three-month-long ceasefire declared by the government was conditional, and if the Taliban did not respect it, the government would maintain military operations. The Taliban have launched a wave of attacks in recent weeks, including on the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul. Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting. Government officials are trying to secure the release of at least 170 civilians and 20 members of the security forces who were taken hostage by Taliban from three buses in the northern province of Kunduz. Esmatullah Muradi, a spokesman for the governor of Kunduz, said the kidnapping happened when the buses were traveling through Kunduz from Takhar province. “The buses were stopped by the Taliban fighters, passengers were forced to step down and they have been taken to an undisclosed location,” Muradi said. A Taliban commander in Afghanistan said civilian hostages were being divided into small groups to be sent back home. However, members of Afghan security forces had been shifted to the Taliban’s secret jail. “Most probably we would exchange them for our prisoners later,” said the commander. ‘TRAVELING FOR HOLIDAY’ The Taliban confirmed they had captured “three buses packed with passengers”. “We decided to seize the buses after our intelligence inputs revealed that many men working with Afghan security forces were traveling to Kabul,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said by telephone. “We are now identifying members of the security forces,” he said, adding that civilians would be released. Kunduz provincial council member Sayed Assadullah Sadat said people on the buses were traveling to be with family in Kabul for the holiday. A senior interior ministry official in Kabul said officials in the area were talking to Taliban leaders in Kunduz to get the estimated 190 hostages released. “We’re are trying our level best to secure freedom for all passengers,” the official said. Separately, Mujahid said the Taliban would release at least 500 prisoners, including members of the security forces, on Monday, a day before Eid celebrations begin. Sporadic clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghan forces erupted on the outskirts of Ghazni on Monday as aid workers tried to get help into the city, aid agency officials said. The government has said its forces had secured the city after the Taliban laid siege to it for five days this month. At least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians were killed and hundreds were injured. Aid agencies officials said their teams had entered the city but clashes in the outskirts prevented them from launching large-scale operations.<doc-sep>
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. Slideshow ( 2 images ) CONDITIONAL “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)”.