Afghanistan-Taliban three-day ceasefire

KABUL (IP) - The Taliban's measure to announce a three-day ceasefire on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr was welcomed by the Afghan government, countries, and international organizations, and the Afghan government has ordered the release of 2,000 Taliban prisoners.

Iran Press/Asia: The Taliban in a unilateral move on Friday called on its fighters to end fighting for three days on Eid al-Fitr and to just take a defensive position. The group also did not allow its fighters to enter government-controlled areas.

The Taliban's move was welcomed by the Afghan government, and President Ashraf Ghani ordered government forces to observe the ceasefire and holdback attacking Taliban positions.

The ceasefire was welcomed by Afghan people, national institutions, foreign countries, and international organizations, and they expressed hope that these measures would continue to ease violence in the country and bring peace.

The Islamic Republic of Iran's embassy in Kabul also welcomed the positive and constructive measures taken by the Afghan government and the Taliban to establish a ceasefire and alleviate violence during Eid al-Fitr.

The Iranian embassy expressed hope that the initiative would be an effectual step towards enhancing more trust and pursuing a peaceful settlement of the conflict, as well as the start of negotiations between Afghanistan and the establishment of long-lasting peace in the country.

Emphasizing that the people of Afghanistan are deserved to avoid violence, the United Nations Assistance Mission in this country "UNAMA" also welcomed the announcement of a three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan government during Eid al-Fitr.

The organization has called on both sides to work to end the current war so that dialogue between Afghanistan can begin as soon as possible.

Welcoming the three-day ceasefire by the Taliban and the Afghan government, Zalmai Khalilzad, the US State Department's special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, also stressed the two sides' agreement to start inter-Afghan talks.

Khalilzad said that after the end of the three-day ceasefire, other positive steps should be taken immediately.

Stressed out on the release of the remaining prisoners on both sides, he added that the agreement between the United States and the Taliban addresses the issue of not returning to the violence and agreement on a new date for the start of talks in Afghanistan.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also tweeted that the Afghan government and the Taliban welcomed the announcement of the three-day Eid al-Fitr ceasefire and all parties should seize this opportunity for the peace and benefit of all Afghans.

German Ambassador to Afghanistan Peter Prügel also welcomed the "three-day Eid ceasefire" and expressed hope that the move by the government and the Taliban would pave the way for a permanent humanitarian ceasefire, the release of more prisoners, and peace negotiations commence in the country.

Ashraf Ghani yesterday (Sunday) after Eid prayers said that in exchange for the announcement of the ceasefire by the Taliban and the goodwill of the government, he would release 2,000 other prisoners and issued an order to release them.

According to the US-Taliban agreement, 5,000 Taliban prisoners will be released from prisons in exchange for 1,000 government prisoners releasing by the Taliban. The Afghan government has so far released 1,000 prisoners and the Taliban has released about 200 prisoners.

About a week ago, following the escalation of violence, the Afghan National Security Council announced that the process of releasing Taliban prisoners had stopped.

War in Afghanistan has escalated over the past month, with the United Nations had reported a 25 percent increase in civilian casualties in the past month compared to the same month last year.

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