Senior rebel commander surrenders in Herat

  Led by Mullah Abdullah, the group was operating in Pashtun Zarghoon district and eastern parts of the province, Governor Daud Shah Saba told a gathering at the border police headquarters.
He called the peace drive a success, saying 31 militant gangs had renounced the insurgency in the province this year. The surrender would help improve security in the areas and pave the way for executing development projects there, he hoped.
Happy over joining the reconciliation campaign, Abdullah linked their surrender to efforts by residents and border police officials. “I fought in the past to protest the presence of foreign troops in the country.”
Asking the government to provide work opportunities for the ex-fighters, he hoped the authorities would release 12 of his jailed associates. Saba promised measures for the release of the individuals.
Provincial peace council chief, Maulvi Ghulam Sarwar, said the group’s surrender would encourage other militants to join the reconciliation effort. He added the group leader would be paid 30,000 afghanis ($607.656) and each individual 15,000 afghanis ($303.828).