Thaindian News

Kabul, Nov 4 (IANS) Over 100 Taliban militants have laid down arms and surrendered to the government in Afghanistan over the past few weeks, a senior police official has said.

“More than 100 armed anti-government militants, including several key commanders, have laid down their weapons and joined the peace process in Kunduz, Takhar, Baghlan and Faryab provinces over the past couple of weeks,” Mohammad Daud, the commander of police in northern provinces, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

With the former militants supporting the peace process, security would significantly improve in the northern provinces, he said.

The Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan National Army (ANA) and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have conducted a series of operations across the northern region to capture militants’ strongholds, he said.

Many areas in Takhar province bordering Tajikistan have been cleared of militants during the operations, forcing the insurgents to flee to the remote mountainous areas, he said.