LASHKAGRAH (PAN): Taliban fighters, Afghan officials and foreign forces have agreed to a cease-fire in the Sangin district of the southern province of Helmand, the hotbed of insurgents, an official said on Sunday.

The ceasefire was agreed at a special gathering also participated by governor Muhammad Gulab Mangal, some foreign and local security officials and tribal elders, who spoke on behalf of the Taliban, the governor's spokesman, Daud Ahmadi, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

After the agreement, he said, neither the Taliban nor NATO-led ISAF soldiers would attack each other. Under the deal, local Taliban fighters would not let foreign insurgents to enter areas under their control.

"If foreign militants or fighters from other areas enter Sangin district, locals and tribal elders would ask ISAF and Afghan soldiers for support," he said.

The agreement was reached Saturday between the Afghan government, ISAF soldiers and tribal elders from Sarwan Qala, where most dwellers belong to Alokozai tribe, Ahmadi said.

The joint Afghan and allied forces would continue patrolling the area and the Taliban would neither create problems for them and reconstruction projects nor they would shift weapons from one area to another, the official said of the agreement.

Although the Taliban did not comment on the deal, the governor's spokesman said tribal elders had also agreed they would guide security forces to defuse planted bombs.

Locals support the deal but they are not sure about its implementation. "Such deal is like painting onto the surface of water," a resident and elder of Sangin district, Shamsullah Sahrayee, said.

As the Taliban fighters were not a single group, no one could guarantee the fighters would give up insurgency, he said.

For a durable solution to the imbroglio, he insisted, the Afghan government and foreigners should listen to the advices of tribal elders.

In September 2010, the British forces handed over the security responsibility for Sangin district to the US forces, marking the end of their four-year mission in the region. The Royal Marines and other personnel were moved to central Helmand province.

On Saturday, residents of two districts --Sangin and Kajaki – alleged that civilians were being killed by US forces during an ongoing operation.

But governor, Mangal, had warned foreign forces against civilian casualties during their operation. He said foreigners would not be allowed to carry out operations which could lead to civilian casualties.

frm/ma