President Ashraf Ghani in his Eid message to the nation on Sunday welcomed the Taliban announcement of a ceasefire and said the release of Taliban prisoners will be expedited, kickstarting a process that was stopped this month.

The Taliban on Saturday evening announced a three-day ceasefire during Eid. 

“As a responsible government we want to move one more step forward: I am announcing that the release of Taliban prisoners will be expedited and we call on the Taliban that they also expedite the release the security and defense prisoners,” Ghani said.

Ghani wished happy Eid to all Afghans and said the peace effort requires cooperation, as it is a burden that should be shared.

“I once again welcome the ceasefire announced by the Taliban, I also instructed the Afghan Security Forces to observe ceasefire too,” he added.

“The winner of peace will be the Afghan people. War brings destruction and misery, especially for Afghan women who suffer the most,” Ghani said.

The president said the negotiation team is ready to begin intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible.