President Ashraf Ghani discussed the Afghan peace process and the ceasefire with the Taliban in a phone call with US Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday, Presidential Palace said in a statement.

Mr. Pence welcomed President Ghani’s decision on ceasefire and said the United States supports the Afghan peace process, the statement said.

He said he welcomes the reforms in the Afghan government and that Washington supports Afghanistan’s elections.

The two sides stressed the need for a joint combat against terrorism, the statement said.

Meanwhile, President Ghani said the people of Afghanistan have reached the point where they can make important decisions on enduring peace in the country.

"I spoke with VP Mike Pence this evening. The vice president commended the Afghan government's resolve to work for peace and congratulated the Afghan forces for successful overseeing ceasefire during Eid," Ghani tweeted on Thursday. "We discussed the overall peace process, elections, counter terrorism and reforms within Afghan security forces." 

The US vice president said Washington supports decisions made by the Afghan government.

President Ghani announced a unilateral ceasefire earlier this month which was accepted by the Taliban only for three days. 

Later, the president extended the ceasefire for another 10 days, but Taliban continued their fighting against government forces following their three-day ceasefire on June 15.