KABUL: Afghan soldiers and Taliban militants celebrated an unprecedentedceasefire marking the end of the Ramadan fasting season with Eid greetings,hand shakes and big hugs.

The Taliban announced a surprise three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday,except against foreign forces, which overlaps an Afghan governmentceasefire which lasts until Wednesday.link#_>

Video and pictures on social media showed cheerful soldiers and Talibanhugging one another and exchanging Eid greetings in Logar province, southof Kabul, and Zabul in the south and central Maidan Wardak.

Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Masood Azizi said the ceasefire was beingmonitored throughout the country.

“Luckily there have been no attacks,” he told Reuters.

Governors in Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul said both sides had adhered to theceasefire and that there had been no reports of violence in the last 24hours.

Members of rights groups organised a brief meeting between Afghan forcesand Taliban insurgents in Helmand´s capital city.

Laskargah, where the Taliban have delivered a series of blows to governmentforces this year.

Men and women gathered around the soldiers and Taliban fighters and urgedthem to keep their weapons at their sides before they hugged each other.

“It was the most peaceful Eid. For the first time we felt safe.

It is hard to describe the joy,” said Qais Liwal, a college student inZabul.

The ceasefire coincided with the start of the World Cup, a cricket testmatch debut against India and hopes for elections later in the year and forpeace that lasts longer than just a few days following months ofdeteriorating security, especially in the capital, Kabul.

The Taliban are fighting U. S. -led NATO forces, combined under theResolute Support mission, and the U. S. -backed government to restoresharia, or Islamic law, after their ouster by U. S. -led forces in 2001.Resolute Support said it was hopeful that the Taliban stick to theirceasefire “and we hope that pause leads to dialogue and progress onreconciliation”.