Taliban declares 3-day Eid ceasefire

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said that the group’s members were instructed to halt every type of offensive operations across the country during the three days of Eid al-Fitr.

However, the Taliban fighters are also instructed to break the ceasefire only for self-defense and not visit government-controlled areas or host Afghan security forces during the Eid festivities.

The insurgents were also ordered not to permit entrance of government personnel into Taliban controlled locations.

Every year Taliban declares nationwide ceasefires during the EID but clashes resume quickly after the celebrations are ended.

Meanwhile, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Head of High Council for National Reconciliation referring to the Taliban’s Eid ceasefire announcement said that a temporary ceasefire on three days of Eid is not the solution for the ongoing crisis in the country.

Abdullah called on the Taliban to grab the opportunity, resume talks, end the violence, hostilities and the bloodshed.

He hoped for a just, comprehensive, dignified and acceptable political solution for all of the parties.

The ceasefire announcement comes few days following the attack on Sayed-ul-Shuhada girls high school in which 68 civilians mostly students were killed and more than 165 others were wounded.

The Afghan government blamed Taliban for the attack, but the militants denied the allegations.

So far, no group or individual has clamed responsibility for deadly attack.

President Ghani on the other hand declared Tuesday a national day of mourning for the victims of Kabul and Logar incidents in which many students were ruthlessly killed.

The announcement added a funeral will be held for the martyrs across the nation, and the government was ordered to compensate families of the victims.

President Ghani said as a father of two children, he shares the pain with every single family affected because of the inhuman attack.

He called such attacks on innocent civilians and students “war crimes against humanity”, and that Afghanistan will forever hate the perpetrators for their hostility.

Ghani also has ordered Amrullah Saleh his first vice president to work on a security plan in consultation with the residents in the west of Kabul, and report back to him within 14 days.

He added that ignorant groups under the Taliban, Daesh, and other terrorist groups conduct such cruel acts but their main purpose is to deprive Afghan children of education and weaken people’s trust over a united Afghanistan.

Taliban must realize that they won’t be able to achieve their evil goals through war and bloodshed and that they will further be hated by the people and strongly suppressed by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, President Ghani said.

President Ghani also ordered the reconstruction of Sayed ul Shuahada high school, so that students could return to their educational norms.