By IANS,
Kabul: A total of 16 Taliban militants have surrendered before the Afghanistan government and joined its peace process, a government official said.
According to a provincial government spokesman, the militants surrendered in the country’s Nuristan province, 180 km from Kabul.
“Sixteen Taliban insurgents under Qari Abdul Matin (a key Taliban leader) laid down arms and resumed normal life in Nuristan province on Sunday,” Xinhua quoted Mohammad Zarin as saying Monday.
The surrender of Matin and his joining the peace process will help improve security in the mountainous Nuristan province where Taliban insurgents are active, according to government sources.
The Taliban were yet to make any comment.
Over 3,500 Taliban militants have laid down arms and joined the government-backed national reconciliation and peace process over the past year, say government officials.