Afghanistan, Taliban Announce 3-Day Ceasefire for Eid al-Fitr

On Monday, Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Taliban said the ceasefire would begin on either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the sighting of the new moon that determines the start of the holiday.

Responding to the ceasefire announcement, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered government forces to adhere to the three-day ceasefire offer during this week's Eid al-Fitr holidays, according to the presidential palace.

A statement said Ghani had told Afghan security forces to "observe the ceasefire" announced earlier Monday, adding that he also urged the insurgents to announce a permanent truce to end the war.

However, a roadside bombing killed 11 passengers on a bus in eastern Afghanistan hours later following the Taliban announcement. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.

This comes amid escalating violence in the country and follows a brutal attack on a girls’ school on Saturday in Kabul that killed as many 60 people, most of them students between 11 and 15 years old.