Afghan president announces ceasefire with Taliban insurgents

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a ceasefire with Taliban insurgents on Thursday until June 20 but said fighting against other militant groups such as Islamic State will continue.

He made the announcement in a televised address.

‘This ceasefire is an opportunity for Taliban to introspect (sic) that their violent campaign is not winning them hearts and minds but further alienating,’ he said in a Tweet.

‘With the ceasefire announcement we epitomize the strength of the Afghan government and the will of the people for a peaceful resolution to the Afghan conflict.’

The Taliban are seeking to reimpose strict law after their ouster in 2001 at the hands of US-led troops.