Afghan officials say Taliban militants have killed over 40 government security personnel in attacks across the country.
At least 25 local policemen were killed when militants stormed three checkpoints in the Qala-e Zal district of the northern province of Kunduz on June 9, said Amanaddin Qureshi, the governor of neighboring Imam Sahib district.
Qureshi said eight militants were killed and nine wounded in the clashes.
In the western province of Herat, at least 17 Afghan soldiers were killed when Taliban fighters attacked a checkpoint in the Zawol district, provincial government spokesman Jelani Farhad said.
Farhad said at least 13 others were wounded in the attack.
The attacks came as the Taliban announced a three-day cease-fire over the Eid-al-Fitr holiday, their first offer of its kind, following an earlier unliteral cessation of hostilities announced by the government.
The Taliban's cease-fire is expected to run from June 12 to June 14, while the government’s will last until around June 20.
With reporting by dpa