CHAGHCHARAN/KUNDUZ CITY (Pajhwok): Twenty militants joined the peace process in western Ghor and northern Kunduz provinces on Wednesday, officials said.
Mullah Abdullah, the commander of a 12-member rebel group that joined the reconciliation drive in Chaghcharan, surrendered 10 weapons to the government.
Abdullah told Pajhwok Afghan News he had been fighting against the government for the past three years. He surrendered to live in peace and take part in country’s reconstruction.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Governor Sayed Anwar Rahmati called the fighters’ reintegration helpful in maintaining security, especially during the elections.
Peace Committee head Kamaluddin Maudoodi promised job opportunities for the surrendering insurgents. Since start of the peace process in 2012, more than 450 fighters had shunned the insurgency in Ghor, he added.
Another eight-member group, led by Qari Mohibullah, also joined the peace campaign in the Khanabad district of Kunduz.
For a year, they had been active in Aliabad and were ordered to disrupt the election process, Mohibullah said, adding they had decided against armed opposition to the government.
Syed Sarwar Hussaini, the police spokesman, said the group had turned in seven weapons and its surrender would have a positive effect on efforts at improving security.
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