Afghan president extends ceasefire

Ghani calls for Taliban to also extend their three-day ceasefire

KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in an address to the nation, said he would extend a ceasefire with the Taliban but did not give a time frame.

He also asked the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire which is due to end on Sunday.



It was not immediately clear if Ghani knew about the bomb in the east when he made his address.

Earlier today a car bomb killed at least 26 people at a gathering of Taliban and Afghan armed forces in the eastern city of Nangarhar on Saturday, an official said, as soldiers and militants elsewhere in the country celebrated an unprecedented ceasefire.

Dozens of unarmed Taliban militants had earlier entered the Afghan capital and other cities to celebrate, coinciding with the end of the Ramadan fasting season. Soldiers and militants exchanged hugs and took selfies on their smartphones.

But in some provinces the insurgents were carrying rocket launchers, grenades and other ammunition.