Afghanistan announces ceasefire with Taliban for Eid
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U.S. President Donald J. Trump salutes as military personnel carry a transfer case for fallen service member, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk T. Fuchigami, 25, during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on November 21, 2019 in Dover, Delaware. Fuchigami died Wednesday along with Chief Warrant Officer 2 David C. Knadle, 33, in Logar province, Afghanistan, when their helicopter crashed while providing security for troops on the ground, according to a Department of Defense release. The incident is under investigation. _AFP
"Kabul: Afghanistan announced today a week-long ceasefire with the Taliban for Eid, the holiday that caps off Ramadan, though operations against other groups including Islamic State will continue.
The ceasefire will last "from the 27th of Ramadan until the fifth day of Eid-al-Fitr," President Ashraf Ghani tweeted from an official account, indicating it could run from June 12-19.
It was not immediately clear if the Taliban had agreed to the ceasefire, which would be the first for Eid since the US invasion in 2001.
"We are checking with our officials regarding the ceasefire announcement," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.
The surprise move comes days after a gathering of Afghanistan's top clerics in the capital Kabul called for a ceasefire and issued a fatwa against suicide bombings and attacks.