Kabul: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Sunday that a seven-day partial truce would continue, but he rejected a key component of a new US-Taliban deal that calls for the release of thousands of insurgent prisoners.
The so-called "reduction in violence" period, which saw attacks plummet across Afghanistan, ran for the week preceding Saturday's signing of a historic accord between the US and the Taliban in Doha.
"The reduction in violence will continue with a goal to reach a full ceasefire," Ghani told a press conference.
"General (Scott) Miller has told Taliban to do so. It is expected (to continue)," he added, referring to the US commander in charge of foreign forces in Afghanistan.
A Taliban source did not immediately comment.
The partial truce saw scenes of jubilant Afghans dancing in the street as hopes rose that Afghanistan's 18-year-old war might finally come to an end.
Ghani's government was not part of the Doha accord, so while the agreement states that the "United States commits to completing this goal" of releasing the Taliban prisoners, it is unclear how that can happen if Kabul is not on board.
Any prisoner release is "not in the authority of the US, it is in the authority of the Afghan government", Ghani said.
"It could be included in the agenda of the intra-Afghan talks, but cannot be a prerequisite for talks."