Nearly two dozen Taliban fighters laid down their arms and joined government in Baghlan province north of Afghanistan, police said Thursday. "Twenty armed rebels under the command of Mullah Abdul Jabbar handed in arms in Jilga district and vowed to defend the government and work for peace," Police spokesman in the province Ahmad Jawed Basharat told Xinhua.
With the surrender of these people, he added, that Jilga district and surrounding areas would have peace and stability.
Jilga and neighboring Birka districts have seen escalating Taliban activities over the past couple of months. Militants just weeks ago raided Birka district and after killing three police took away eight others but set them free later.