Taliban gunmen in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

On Twitter, the negotiating team representing the Afghan government said that both sides emphasised speeding up the peace talks in Doha. The spokesman for the Taliban’s political office added that both sides agreed to continue talks after the Eid al-Fitr holidays.

A three-day ceasefire agreed by the warring Taliban and Afghan government came into force on Thursday, after weeks of heavy fighting across the country. On the second day of the ceasefire, however, at least 12 people were killed in a mosque blast on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul. No group has so far claimed the attack and the Taliban denied responsibility.