Afghan president announces weeklong cease-fire with Taliban

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has announced a cease-fire with the Taliban to begin next Tuesday and last for a week.

A statement sent from the president's office on Thursday says the cease-fire will coincide with the long holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It says the cease-fire does not include al-Qaida or the Islamic State group.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban, who have steadily expanded their presence in recent years, capturing a number of districts across the country and carrying out near-daily attacks mainly targeting Afghan security forces.