Afghan Taliban have announced a truce during the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the move, ordering the Afghan military to honor the ceasefire.

The US special envoy who negotiated a deal with the Taliban says a first prisoner swap between the rebels and the government has been a step toward peace. He said the coronavirus threat made the swap even more urgent.

The success of the US-brokered peace pact in Afghanistan is dependent on a prisoner swap between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The Taliban has said they will no longer take part in these "fruitless meetings."

The historic US-Taliban agreement in Doha over the weekend raised hopes for a lasting peace in Afghanistan, but the disagreements between the Afghan government and the insurgents could nullify the deal's gains.

DW went to a rural district in eastern Afghanistan where people are enjoying a break from violence. As the Taliban and the US are inching toward a deal, they are cautiously hopeful for a future without war.

Since the 2001 US-led intervention in Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban, a series of amnesty programmes have been created, allowing former Taliban and Islamic State group fighters to lay down their weapons in return for an official pardon. Our reporters Margaux Benn, Sonia Ghezali and Shahzaib Wahlah travelled to three Afghan provinces to explore how former Taliban fighters are adapting to their new lives as ordinary civilians. They also find out how the amnesty programme is perceived by family members

Afghanistan's president said Friday, after meeting his United States counterpart, that if the Taliban insurgency were sincerely committed to reaching a peace agreement, they would accept a ceasefire.

Taliban officials have met with a US special envoy for the first time since peace talks collapsed a month ago. But US officials have said official peace talks have not resumed.

A suicide truck bomber devastated a hospital in southern Afghanistan, leaving 20 dead and up to 100 injured. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Taliban 'must accept the Afghanistan of 2019', Afghan ambassador to the US says

In response to Donald Trump's decision to cancel negotiations, the Taliban has said it will carry on fighting. The group has continued to gain territory in Afghanistan, as Trump said he plans to pull out US troops.

The US and the Taliban are close to finalizing a deal to end the 18-year-long Afghan war. But Kabul is still not completely on board, and this could complicate matters. Shamil Shams and Masood Saifullah report from Doha.