QALA-E-NAW, Afghanistan, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The governor of western Badghis province Hasamudin Shams made unofficial ceasefire with the Taliban outfit in the provincial capital Qala-e-Naw city on Thursday to end the clash there.

"From 10:00 a.m. local time today (Thursday), a ceasefire came into effect between Security and Defense Forces and the Taliban group in the provincial capital Qala-e-Naw city," the governor told Xinhua.

However, governor Shams said no written agreement on ceasefire had been inked and the truce is informal.

"The truce came into effect with the mediation of the elders of Qala-e-Naw city, and I am hopeful the Taliban remain committed to the verbal agreement," the governor added.

Aimed at ending the conflict, the verbal agreement on the informal ceasefire has no timetable, the official said, adding that he is hopeful the truce could turned into a permanent ceasefire.

This is the first time that a provincial government made truce with the Taliban amid the armed group's military advances and capturing more than 120 districts after the start of withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Afghanistan early May.

Taliban militants who are in control of all the districts of Badghis province with Qala-e-Naw as its capital 555 km northwest of Kabul and their attempts to overrun Qala-e-Naw over the past one week have yet to comment.

The ceasefire is taking place amid Taliban demand for the release of 7,000 prisoners from Afghan government jails and delisting the names of their leaders names from the United Nations black list as the precondition for observing a three-month ceasefire with the government.

Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh has earlier rejected the demand, saying the government has released more than 5,000 Taliban detainees as good will gesture to encourage Taliban for meaningful dialogue, but the process has yet to deliver since the start of intra-Afghan dialogue in Sept. 12 last year. Enditem

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