TALIBAN DECLARES EID AL-FITR TRUCE AFTER KABUL GOV’T CALL
KABUL— The Afghan Taliban on Saturday announced a surprise three-day ceasefire over the looming Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, their first offer of its kind, days after the government declared an unconditional ceasefire of its own.
The militants said foreign forces would be excluded from the ceasefire and that operations against themwould continue.
The Taliban also said they would defend themselves against any attack.
‘Prospects for peace’
“Members of the Taliban should not participate in public gatherings during the Eid festivities because the enemy could target us,” the Taliban said in a statement.
The presidential palace welcomed the announcement and said it hoped it could lead to lasting peace.
Omar Zakhilwal, Afghanistan’s ambassador to neighboring Pakistan, described the announcement as an “important step to- wards prospects for peace.”
“Hope the pleasure of shedding no Afghan blood in Eid becomes so overwhelming that rest of year is also declared as Afghan Eid,” he said on Twitter.
The Taliban attacked security outposts in the Zawul district of western Herat province on Friday night, killing 17 troops and wounding several others, said Jelani Farhad, spokesperson for the provincial governor.
Biggest Muslim festival
It is not clear when exactly the ceasefire will begin, as Eid al-Fitr starts when the moon is first sighted, but Afghan calendars marked Friday, June 15, as the end of Ramadan.
Eid al-Fitr is the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar when families visit each other’s homes, enjoy feasting, and in Afghanistan, tend graves of fallen loved ones.
The Taliban, seeking to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster at the hands of US-led troops, have launched attacks during Eid in the past.—