Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday announced a weeklong ceasefire with the Taliban to coincide with the holiday marking the end of Islamic month of Ramadan next week.

A statement sent from the president’s office on Thursday says the ceasefire will begin on Ramadan 27, or June 12 on the Western calendar, and last through the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday, until around June 19.

It says the ceasefire does not include Al Qaeda or Daesh.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban, who have steadily expanded their presence in recent years, capturing a number of districts across the country and carrying out near-daily attacks, mainly targeting Afghan security forces. (PTK)