President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday evening announced a conditional ceasefire.

He said the ceasefire would start on Monday and end on November 19 – which is three months.

He said the ceasefire would only be implemented if the Taliban respect it.

Ghani said: "As we approach Eid-ul-Adha, and to respect the wishes of different segments of Afghan society including religious scholars, political parties, politicians, women and civil society leaders, youth and members of high peace council in all 34 provinces, and to respect the wishes of the religious scholars of the Islamic world that were gathered in the holy mosques and to respect the wishes of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the custodians of the two-holy mosques, the King of Saudi Arabia, we announce a ceasefire that would take effect from tomorrow, Monday, the day of Arafa, till the day of the birth of the prophet i.e., Milad-un-Nabi, (November 19) provided that the Taliban reciprocate."

Not long after Ghani's announcement, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's Secretary-General, welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire.

"I encourage the Taliban to demonstrate their concern for Afghans by respecting it," Stoltenberg tweeted.