US supports peace talks between Taliban & Afghan govt as Kabul announces ceasefire agreement

The US says it supports peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying in a statement that Washington "welcomes the announcement by the Afghan government of a ceasefire conditioned on Taliban participation...this plan responds to the clear and continued call of the Afghan people for peace." Pompeo added that the US is ready to back direct negotiations between the two parties. "There is no obstacles to talks. It is time for peace," he said. It comes just hours after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a ceasefire agreement with the Taliban, beginning on Monday, to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Taliban sources told Reuters that the four-day ceasefire had been provisionally agreed to by the group's leaders, though supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada must still give his final approval.