Afghanistan car bombing kills 26 as Taliban fighters enter Kabul to mark Eid ceasefire
Updated
A car bomb has killed at least 26 people in eastern Afghanistan, as Taliban fighters and Afghan soldiers elsewhere in the country came together to celebrate an unprecedented ceasefire.
Key points:
- The bomb hit a gathering of Taliban and Afghan security officials celebrating Eid
- A police spokesperson said many Taliban handed over weapons as they entered Kabul
- President Ashraf Ghani has said he hopes the ceasefire can be extended
Taliban fighters walked unchallenged into Kabul and exchanged hugs, food and selfies with Afghan soldiers during the Eid ceasefire.
Incredible images posted on social media showed insurgents hugging civilians and Afghan soldiers in cities throughout the country.
The outbreak of friendliness between the two warring sides was marred by a car bomb in the eastern city of Nangarhar.
The Islamic State group reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group's Amaq news agency said the target was "a gathering of Afghan forces" but gave no details, according to a Reuters report.
The Taliban had already denied responsibility for the attack, which hit a gathering of Taliban and Afghan security officials who were celebrating Eid together.
Elsewhere, there were scenes of crowds cheering as Taliban fighters and Afghan soldiers embraced.
"I could not believe my eyes," said Kunduz resident Mohammad Amir.
"I saw Taliban and police standing side by side and taking selfies."
"It was the most peaceful Eid. For the first time we felt safe. It is hard to describe the joy," said Qais Liwal, a student in Zabul.
There were also festival-like scenes of rival fighters parading down city streets in Logar, holding Afghan and Taliban flags.
A Kabul police spokesperson said many Taliban handed over their weapons as they entered the city, but in other cities, the insurgents walked through the crowds carrying weapons.
Photos were taken of Afghan Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak meeting with Taliban fighters on the streets of Kabul.
One image even showed an Afghan general leaving his car to have selfies taken with an enthusiastic group of Taliban fighters.
The unprecedented scenes come during the overlap between dual ceasefires declared by the Afghan Government and the Taliban to mark Eid, the celebration at end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The Afghan Government made the first concession by declaring a week-long ceasefire leading up to Eid, and the Taliban responded by declaring a three-day cessation of hostilities at the end of Ramadan.
The Afghans exempted Islamic State fighters from the ceasefire, saying it would still carry out operations against the insurgent group.
The Taliban announced it would still target foreign forces during its ceasefire.
President Ashraf Ghani has said he hoped the ceasefire can be extended and called for the Taliban to come to the negotiating table in peace talks.
The Taliban leader in Afghanistan, Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada, said in an Eid address that his group wanted to see the US military and other foreign forces leave Afghanistan.
The US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan General John Nicholson said recently that the Taliban was engaged in a process of "talking and fighting", and that some factions were involved in secret peace negotiations.
It's widely believed that including the Taliban as a minority party in a new Afghan Government will be part of any eventual peace deal.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, afghanistan
First posted
