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Pompeo welcomes ceasefire announcement between Afghan government, Taliban

US Materials 20 August 2018 02:28 (UTC +04:00)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed a Muslim Eid holiday ceasefire announcement by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
Pompeo welcomes ceasefire announcement between Afghan government, Taliban

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed a Muslim Eid holiday ceasefire announcement by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, saying that Washington is ready to facilitate direct peace talks between the authorities and the Taliban, Sputnik reported.

Afghan President declared the latest ceasefire in a televised broadcast on Sunday on the condition that the Taliban reciprocated.

"I once again announce a ceasefire from tomorrow until the prophet's birthday provided that the Taliban reciprocate," Ashraf Ghani said in a statement quoted by AFP.

The announcement of the three-month ceasefire followed a week of a violent fighting across the country which saw the Taliban launch a massive assault against the provincial capital Ghazni.

"The last ceasefire in Afghanistan revealed the deep desire of the Afghan people to end the conflict, and we hope another ceasefire will move the country closer to sustainable security," Mike Pompeo said in a statement quoted by AFP. "The United States and our international partners support this initiative by the Afghan people and the Afghan government, and we call on the Taliban to participate," Pompeo said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Taliban reportedly promised to release hundreds of Afghan prisoners, but did not respond to Kabul's unilateral declaration of ceasefire. Particularly, the Taliban militants said that they would release the prisoners so that "they can share the happiness of Eid [Eid-al-Adha, an Islamic holiday, Festival of Sacrifice], with their families and friends," according to the TOLOnews broadcaster.

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