KABUL -- The Taliban announced its first-ever cease-fire with Afghan forces Saturday, accepting the Kabul government's offer to halt fighting at the conclusion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The militant group, in a statement to reporters, said it would impose a truce with Afghan troops for three days but would continue attacks on foreign forces.
The United States has about 15,000 troops in Afghanistan.
"Mujahideen are instructed to halt offensives against local opponents, but defend if they are attacked," the group said.
The truce will coincide with Eid, the religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
The Taliban also said it may release prisoners including government troops, provided they agree to refrain from fighting insurgents in the future, the statement said.
It is not clear how many Afghan troops the Taliban holds captive.
Mohammad Haroon Chakhansuri, spokesman for the Afghan president, welcomed the cease-fire announcement during a news conference in Kabul.
"We hope that [the Taliban] will be committed to implementing their announcement of the cease-fire," he said.
"The Afghan government will take all steps needed to make sure that there is no bloodshed in Afghanistan."
The unprecedented step from the insurgent group, which has been fighting foreign troops and their local allies since 2001, comes two days after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani declared a weeklong cease-fire beginning Tuesday, and invited the Taliban to respond in kind.
Ghani's surprise announcement underscored his desire to establish a peace process that could put an end to a conflict that even his backers say cannot be won militarily.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the truce was intended for the Eid holiday and would not affect the group's larger objectives, which include the departure of foreign troops from Afghanistan.
"Since our people are under occupation, jihad is incumbent on us," he said.
In the meantime, Taliban insurgents have continued to carry out attacks.
Just hours before the Taliban's announcement, at least 17 soldiers were killed when their checkpoint came under attack by Taliban fighters in western Herat province, said Gelani Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor.
Farhad said one soldier was wounded. He added that eight insurgents were killed and more than a dozen others were wounded in the gun battle in Zewal district.
In northern Kunduz province, at least 13 local policemen were killed early Saturday when their checkpoint came under an attack by Taliban fighters, said Nematullah Temori, spokesman for the provincial governor.
Temori said seven others were wounded in Qala-e Zal district.
Around 10 insurgents were also killed and nine others wounded during the battle, he said.
Meanwhile, in northern Sari Pul, at least six public protection forces were killed after a checkpoint came under an attack by Taliban fighters, said Zabi Amani, spokesman for the provincial governor.
Amani said that seven other forces were wounded in the attack late Friday night near Sari Pul city.
"Insurgents have set fire to two military Humvees as well as the checkpoint," he said.
He said there was a report of a single Taliban casualty but the group has not commented.
There was no immediate response to the Taliban's statement from the U.S. military, which has a dual mission to support Afghan troops against the Taliban and, separately, conduct counterterrorism operations against extremists associated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
Ghani's cease-fire offer did not cover Afghan operations against the Islamic State or other hard-line groups.
Last week, the U.S. military said it would observe the government cease-fire with the Taliban while continuing its activities against the Islamic State.
President Donald Trump's administration has increased the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan in an effort to give local forces, which continue to struggle despite more than a decade and a half of outside support, a battlefield advantage.
The Trump administration has called repeatedly for a political resolution to the war.
But it remains uncertain whether American officials will resume and expand discussions they have had intermittently with Taliban representatives since 2010. Under Trump, the State Department office that oversaw past attempts to establish a negotiating process was dismantled.
While the Taliban announced it would halt attacks in response to Ghani's truce offer, it considers his government to be illegitimate and has said it would only hold peace talks with the United States.
Information for this article was contributed by Sayed Salahuddin, Missy Ryan and Sharif Hassan of The Washington Post; and by Rahim Faiez of The Associated Press.
A Section on 06/10/2018