A total of 219 militants loyal to the Taliban have joined the Afghan government over the past 10 days, Afghanistan's intelligence service or National Directorate for Security (NDS) said in a statement released here on Thursday, Xinhua reported.
"In line with the government-initiated national reconciliation program 12 groups of Taliban militants made up of 189 armed fighters men and 30 unarmed insurgents have laid down their arms and resumed normal life over the past ten days,"the statement said.
The former militants have giving up insurgency in the country's northern Kunduz, Jawzjan, Sari Pul and Takhar provinces and western Farah province, the statement added.
Taliban militants fighting Afghan and NATO-led troops stationed in Afghanistan have not made comment yet.