bobdina
11-05-2010, 11:39 PM
Over 100 Taliban militants surrender to gov't in N. Afghan provinces: official
KABUL, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 Taliban insurgents including key commanders have given up insurgency and surrendered to the government in northern Afghan provinces over the past weeks, regional police chief said Thursday.
"More than 100 armed anti-government militants including several key commanders among them 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 Daud, commander of police force in the north of Afghanistan, told a press conference here.
With joining the armed men to the government and supporting peace process the security would be significantly improved in northern provinces, he added.
According to Daud, the Afghan National Police (ANP) with collaboration of Afghan National Army (ANA) and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have conducted a series of clean up and search operations across the northern region to capture militants'stronghold in Takhar and neighboring Kunduz provinces.
Three districts in Takhar province bordering Tajikistan, he said, have been cleared of militants during the operations, forcing insurgents to flee to the remote and mountainous areas. "There are several local armed militants and dozens of Al-Qaida fighters in the northern region who have come from their traditional hotbed southern provinces due to mounting military pressure on them," he said. "A fighter from Tajikistan has been killed during the operations," he added.
He also said the Taliban bastion Chardara district in Kunduz province has been cleared of insurgents and police forces have deployed in 12 villages to keep on security there.
The top police commander in north Afghanistan Daud also added that the number of security incidents have decreased by 30 percent in the northern region.
However, Taliban militants who have been attempting to infiltrate from their traditional hotbed southern Afghanistan to relatively peaceful northern provinces, have yet to make comments.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/04/c_13591435.htm
KABUL, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 Taliban insurgents including key commanders have given up insurgency and surrendered to the government in northern Afghan provinces over the past weeks, regional police chief said Thursday.
"More than 100 armed anti-government militants including several key commanders among them 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 Daud, commander of police force in the north of Afghanistan, told a press conference here.
With joining the armed men to the government and supporting peace process the security would be significantly improved in northern provinces, he added.
According to Daud, the Afghan National Police (ANP) with collaboration of Afghan National Army (ANA) and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have conducted a series of clean up and search operations across the northern region to capture militants'stronghold in Takhar and neighboring Kunduz provinces.
Three districts in Takhar province bordering Tajikistan, he said, have been cleared of militants during the operations, forcing insurgents to flee to the remote and mountainous areas. "There are several local armed militants and dozens of Al-Qaida fighters in the northern region who have come from their traditional hotbed southern provinces due to mounting military pressure on them," he said. "A fighter from Tajikistan has been killed during the operations," he added.
He also said the Taliban bastion Chardara district in Kunduz province has been cleared of insurgents and police forces have deployed in 12 villages to keep on security there.
The top police commander in north Afghanistan Daud also added that the number of security incidents have decreased by 30 percent in the northern region.
However, Taliban militants who have been attempting to infiltrate from their traditional hotbed southern Afghanistan to relatively peaceful northern provinces, have yet to make comments.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-11/04/c_13591435.htm