Commanders among 54 Taliban surrender in Nangarhar

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Four commanders were among 54 Taliban militants who surrendered their weapons in eastern Nangarhar province, local officials said on Thursday.

They said the surrendering militants were previously fighting against the government in six districts of the province, but they were forced by Afghan forces operations to shun insurgency.

Attaullah Khogyani, the Nangarhar governor’s spokesman, told a press conference here today that the former rebels had been engaged in terrorist activities in Moman Dara, Sherzad, Ghanikhel, Khogyani, Achin and Nazian districts.

He said the 54 insurgents included four commanders and they surrendered all their weapons to the National Directorate of Security (NDS) department.

Afghan security forces have recently intensified their operations in many districts of Nangarhar, forcing many rebels to join peace, Khogyani said.

Nabiullah, one of the surrendering insurgents, said they were encouraged by Pakistan.

Mohammad Islam, another former rebel, said he had been fighting against the government for the last six years but he recently realized that the war was against the interests of Afghanistan and only foreigners benefited from it and that was the reason he laid down his weapon.

Mualvi Mohammad Daud Mujahid, an Islamic cleric in Nangarhar, said that fighting against Muslims was against Islamic rules and voiced on rebels to join peace.

He termed recent peace efforts as effective and asked the Taliban to abandon the war and join the peace process.

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