Afghan Taliban announce three-day ceasefire for Eid ul Fitr

PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: After a surge in violence in the past few weeks in the war-torn Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban on Monday announced a three-day ceasefire across the country aimed at enabling the Afghan people to celebrate Eidul Fitr in a peaceful environment.

President Ashraf Ghani responded positively to the Taliban ceasefire and ordered his forces to maintain a defensive posture and retaliate if attacked. However, he used the word "enemy" for the Taliban and demanded a permanent ceasefire. Taliban also use the term "enemy" for the Afghan government.

Taliban spokesman for their Doha-based Political Commission, Dr Mohammad Naeem, said in a statement that ceasefire had been declared to provide a peaceful and secure atmosphere to their compatriots during Eidul Fitr so that they may celebrate this joyous occasion with a greater peace of mind.

"All Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are instructed to halt offensive operations against the enemy countrywide from the first till the third day of Eid. But if the enemy conducts any assault or attack against you during these days, stand ready to robustly protect and defend yourselves and your territory. The Mujahideen should neither visit enemy areas nor permit the entrance of enemy personnel into Mujahideen controlled areas,” he added.

Though it depends on moon sighting, Eidul Fitr is expected to be celebrated on Wednesday or Thursday in Afghanistan. According to Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, their top leadership after days of consultations had agreed to the three-day ceasefire but it was decided not to announce it publicly.

After seeking approval from Taliban supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada for the ceasefire, Taliban immediately conveyed it to their military commanders in Afghanistan and directed them to restrain their fighters from planning and carrying out attacks on the Afghan government and forces.

For a long time, the Taliban commanders and political leaders were made to believe that the ceasefire would not be announced publicly. Some of them got surprised when Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid released a statement to the media and publicly announced the ceasefire.

According to Taliban sources, their Political Commission was in favour of the ceasefire and its announcement to the media so that people in Afghanistan could learn that the Taliban had in fact made it for them to celebrate Eidul Fitr in a peaceful environment. “The military council had slight differences and agreed to the ceasefire but it wanted the top leadership to keep it secret,” said a senior Taliban leader in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.

According to Taliban sources, their supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada later in the night took the final decision and directed his team to announce it publicly. The sources told The News that Haibatullah Akhunzada’s second-in-command and Taliban deputy chief, Sirajuddin Haqqani, also leader of the Haqqani Network, had played a role in convincing the Taliban leadership to publicly announce the ceasefire. “There will be a complete silence from our side during the ceasefire. However, we have planned some major operations in some important districts and provincial headquarters and that could begin on the fourth day of Eidul Fitr,” a senior Taliban commander told The News in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

The ceasefire declaration came two days after bomb explosions outside a school in Dashte Barchi locality populated mostly by the Hazara Shia community Kabul. It killed at least 68, most of them girl students, and injured more than 165 others.

Taliban had declared a three-day ceasefire during the previous Eids also, but had refused to extend it further. Meanwhile, Pakistan on Monday welcomed the three-day ceasefire announced by Taliban in Afghanistan on the eve of Eidul Fitr.

“We fully support all efforts that lead to reduction in violence and contribute to achieving durable stability and lasting peace in Afghanistan,” the Foreign Office said. “But if the enemy conducts any assault or attack against you during these days, stand ready to robustly protect and defend yourselves and your territory,” a statement released by the Taliban said on Monday.