Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday announced the end of the government's unilateral ceasefire and ordered forces to restart operations across the country.
"The ceasefire is over. The Afghan security and defense forces are allowed to restart their military operations," Ghani told reporters.
The government's ceasefire, which lasted 18 days after it was extended once, overlapped with the Taliban's independent three-day truce for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival, which marks the end of Ramadan.
The three days of no fighting were unprecedented in the nearly 17-year conflict.
Read more: Why Taliban won't make peace with Kabul
Ghani said the ceasefire had been 98 percent successful and had shown that the majority of the rebels wanted peace, adding that it was now the "Taliban's turn to give a positive response."
"I am ready to extend the ceasefire anytime when the Taliban are ready," he said.
Read more: Who is Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah?
But after a few days of Taliban fighters openly socializing with government security forces and civilians over Eid, the Taliban's leaders on Sunday ordered its men back to their posts.
The Taliban vowed Tuesday to continue their violent fight against the government and their foreign backers, brushing aside the rising number of civilian casualties.
The ceasefires did not extend to the Islamic State (IS), which has a small but strong presence in the country. IS launched two deadly attacks on ceasefire revelers during Eid.
law/aw (AFP, AP)
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Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Fragile security
Repeated attacks in Afghanistan in 2018 and 2019 have killed and wounded hundreds of innocent Afghans, and shown the world the fragile and worsening state of security in the conflict-stricken country. The incidents have plunged war-weary Afghan citizens into a state of despair and highlighted the limitations faced by the government in Kabul in ensuring public security.
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Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
A long series of attacks
The violent incidents have made Afghanistan once again a staple of international headlines. Outfits like the Taliban and the "Islamic State" (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Afghan government is under heavy pressure to restore security and take back territory controlled by a number of insurgent groups, including the Taliban and IS.
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Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Spring offensive
In 2018, the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive, dismissing an offer of peace talks by President Ashraf Ghani. The militants, fighting to restore their version of strict Islamic law to Afghanistan, said their campaign was a response to a more aggressive US military strategy adopted in 2017, which aims to force the militants into peace talks.
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Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Trump's Afghanistan policy
US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan in 2017, vowing to deploy more troops to train and advise Afghan security forces. Trump also pledged to support Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban and maintain US presence in the country for as long as there was a need for it. In 2019, he reversed course and promised a troop pullout.
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Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Afghan peace process
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Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Pakistani support
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Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Role of the warlords
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Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
An inefficient government
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Author: Shamil Shams
