Three-day Eid ceasefire comes into force in Afghanistan

The temporary deal between the Taliban and the Afghan government follows a surge in violence in recent weeks.

A three-day ceasefire agreed by the warring Taliban and Afghan government has come into force as celebrations for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr got underway, after weeks of heavy fighting across the country. The temporary deal starting on Thursday was proposed by the Taliban and agreed to by President Ashraf Ghani. Violence has intensified in Afghanistan since the United States missed a May 1 deadline, agreed with the Taliban last year, to withdraw all of its troops.