Two days after the president's ceasefire declaration, the Taliban also announced that their fighters would not attack Afghan security forces during three days of Eid but would not cease fighting against foreign forces.

The Afghan Taliban announced a three-day cease-fire over the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a first for the group, following an earlier cease-fire announcement by the government.

In Kunduz province, at least 15 Afghan security personnel were killed in an attack on Monday, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.

United States forces in Afghanistan confirmed Thursday they would respect the Afghan government's ceasefire with the Taliban, with Gen. John Nicholson, commander of United States and global forces in Afghanistan, describing it as "another bold initiative for peace".

"Our operations will continue against them, we will attack them wherever we see them", it said.

"That the Taliban chose their "unilateral" cease-fire to coincide with the Afghan government's announcement is a cautious step toward public cooperation with the government on peace", said Ahmad Shuja, an Afghan analyst and editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Public Policy Review.

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It would last "from the 27th of Ramadan until the fifth day of Eid-al-Fitr", President Ashraf Ghani tweeted from an official account, indicating the ceasefire could run from June 12-19.

Kabul has been seeking to woo breakaway commanders to lay down their weapons and work out a political settlement to the almost 17-year insurgency and isolate the Taliban leadership based in Quetta, Pakistan.

"Pakistan wishes to reiterate its support of recent peace initiatives in Afghanistan".

It was not the first time that Pakistan and China brokered a deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban. "We hope trust is built on both sides for the extension of the cease-fire for peace talks and negotiations".

"I am positive that Afghan-led peace process will lead to a very successful and peaceful future of the Afghan people, which we have been waiting for for decades". Noori said that elsewhere in Ghazni, at least three local police and 10 Taliban insurgents were killed in clashes.

Pakistani officials; however, told The Express Tribune that the ceasefire between the Afghan government and insurgents were being discussed quietly for past several weeks.

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"We have been stopping fighting during the Eid days, but we would not announce it publicly due to security reasons", Mujahid said.

Mayaudon said he was however sorry that the foreign troops were not included in the Taliban's ceasefire move.

Laurel Miller, who served as a senior US official for Afghanistan and Pakistan under both Obama and Trump, said that while any action to reduce violence was positive, the differing terms and timelines for the two parties' cease-fires made the current circumstance a fragile one.

He said a vehicle filled with explosives was found near the scene of the attack.

The NATO-led mission also said the cease-fire would not include counterterrorism efforts against Islamic State-Khorasan, al-Qaida and other regional and other worldwide terrorist groups.

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