Sharjah 24 – AFP: A three-day ceasefire agreed by the warring Taliban and Afghan government came into force on Thursday as the country celebrated Eid Al Fitr after weeks of deadly violence.
Proposed by the militants and matched by President Ashraf Ghani, the truce offered respite for Afghans as they mark the Muslim festival with friends and family.
Violence has intensified in the country since the United States missed a May 1 deadline, agreed with the Taliban last year, to withdraw all of its troops.
If the ceasefire holds, it will be only the fourth pause in fighting in nearly 20 years of conflict.
Early on Thursday, Afghan men, women and children around the country flocked to mosques or gathered in open grounds to offer morning prayers at the start of Eid festivities that would last until Saturday.
Authorities deployed security personnel to prominent mosques in the capital Kabul who frisked worshippers as they arrived for morning prayers.
Crowds of Kabul residents later packed the capital's main zoo and parks as they celebrated the festival with families, with only a few wearing masks to protect from the coronavirus.
President Ghani used his annual Eid address to urge the Taliban to agree to a lasting truce now that international troops were leaving.
"We don't want you to surrender, but we want you to accept a political solution. War is not a solution," he said.
Washington and NATO have pledged to withdraw their troops by September 11, leaving Afghan forces to defend themselves and protect the vulnerable population.
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