KABUL (REUTERS) - Dozens of unarmed Taleban militants entered the Afghan capital on Saturday (June 16) to celebrate an unprecedented ceasefire marking the end of the Ramadan fasting season, as elsewhere soldiers and militants, in remarkable scenes, exchanged hugs and selfies.
The Taleban announced a surprise three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday, which began on Friday, except against foreign forces. It overlaps with an Afghan government ceasefire which lasts until Wednesday.
Many people across the country have urged the government and the Taleban to extend their ceasefires.
The Taleban, wearing traditional headgear and many with sunglasses, entered Kabul through gates in the south and south-east. Traffic jams formed where people stopped to take pictures of the fighters with their flags. The Taleban urged people to come forward and take selfies.
"They are unarmed as they handed over their weapons at the entrances," Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai told Reuters. Their weapons would be returned when they leave, he said.
Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak met Taleban fighters in Kabul, Tolo news said, an almost unthinkable prospect just two weeks ago.
Video and pictures on news websites showed cheerful soldiers and Taleban hugging one another and exchanging Eid greetings in Logar province, south of Kabul, and Zabul in the south and central Maidan Wardak.
Some people were dancing and clapping as onlookers took photos with their smartphones.
Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Masood Azizi said the ceasefire was being monitored throughout the country.
"Luckily, there have been no attacks," he told Reuters.
Governors in Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul said both sides had adhered to the ceasefire and that there had been no reports of violence for 24 hours.
Members of rights groups organised a brief meeting between Afghan forces and Taleban insurgents in Helmand's capital city, Lashkar Gah, where the Taleban have delivered a series of blows to government forces this year.
Men and women gathered around the soldiers and Taleban fighters and urged them to keep their weapons holstered 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 Mr Qais Liwal, a student in Zabul.
The main square of Kunduz city, capital of the province of the same name, which has witnessed a series of bloody clashes, became a friendly meeting ground.
Resident Mohammad Amir said his younger brother had told him the Taleban were casually entering the city.
"I could not believe my eyes," he told Reuters. "I saw Taleban and police standing side by side and taking selfies."
Photos on news websites showed armed police standing in line at the corner of the street, hugging Taleban fighters one by one.
A video showed a huge crowd of people screaming and whistling as they welcomed the Taleban. In some districts of the eastern city of Jalalabad, civilians were offering dry fruit, traditional sweets and ice cream to Taleban militants.
A Reuters reporter in Jalalabad saw more than a dozen Taleban insurgents enjoying their food and playing with children.
President Ashraf Ghani on Friday expressed hope that the ceasefire would make way for a lengthier halt in the fighting and called for the Taleban to come to the negotiating table.
The ceasefire coincided with the start of the World Cup, a cricket test match debut against India, and hopes for elections later in the year and peace that lasts longer than just a few days following months of deteriorating security, especially in the capital, Kabul.
The Taleban are fighting US-led Nato forces, combined under the Resolute Support mission, and the US-backed government to restore syariah, or Islamic law, after their ouster by US-led forces in 2001.
Resolute Support said it was hopeful that the Taleban stick to their ceasefire "and we hope that pause leads to dialogue and progress on reconciliation".
