Surrendering Taliban seek protection in Kunduz

KUNDUZCITY(PAN fighters who had joined the peace process in northern Kunduz province on Thursday urged the government to take measures for their security, after the killing of several surrendering insurgents at the hands of their former comrades.

As many as 300 Taliban fighters had joined the peace process over the past three months in Kunduz. So far three former Taliban commanders have been killed by their former colleagues.

The dead included, Maulvi Sahib district on May 9. Before being killed, Nabbi had asked the government to provide him protection against the Taliban, but his demand was not met.

Nabbi had declared suicide attacks as un-Islamic after a suicide attack on a bureau of national statistics in Imam Sahib district killed 33 people and wounded 40 others in March.

The killing of the three Taliban commanders has worried other fighters joining the peace process.

“When we joined the peace process, the government assured us our security, but we saw nothing,” Maulvi Mohammad Amin, a former Taliban commander, who joined the peace process along with his ten fighters four months back, said.

“If the government does not provide me security, the militants will kill me,” he said, adding he had only one Kalashnikov for his protection.

Regional head of peace council Asadullah Amarkhel said the killing of surrendering Taliban fighters had discouraged others to follow suit.

“It is the responsibility of the government to protect them, and provide them job opportunities,” he said. The peace council had shared the concerns of surrendering Taliban with the government, he said.

The acting governor, Hamdullah Danishi said they planned to recruit surrendering militants into security forces.

“The killers of these commanders will be arrested or killed”, he said, adding the killing had no effect on the peace process and government was trying to improve their living conditions.

Head of the high council for peace, Borhanuddin Rabbanim, on Wednesday said that security in provinces, where the Taliban fighters had joined the process, had improved. He said the provinces included Kunduz, Badghis, Baghlan and Sar-i-Pul. 

frm/ma

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