Kabul, May 14 (IANS) At least nine people were killed and 17 others injured during explosions in Afghanistan's Kandahar and Kunduz provinces on the first day of an Eid ceasefire declared by the Taliban and the Kabul government, according to authorities.

The three-day ceasefire began on Thursday as the country marked Eid-ul-Fitr, reports TOLO News.

In Kandahar, two landmines exploded in Panjwai and Maiwand districts, claiming the lives of seven civilians and injuring three others.

Hours after the Eid prayers, a remote-controlled landmine blast in Kunduz's Sardawra town killed two people, including a child, and injured 14 others.

Officials in the Kunduz Provincial Hospital said the injured patients were in a critical state.

Before the ceasefire, more than a dozen provinces witnessed heavy clashes between the two sides, TOLO News reported.

Kabul, Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, and Balkh reported the most violence.

--IANS ksk/