9 Afghan Taliban give up fighting, blast rocks Kabul

A total of 99 Taliban militants gave up fighting in the northern and western parts of Afghanistan over the weekend, while the militants organized a suicide attack in the capital city Kabul, injuring at least six police personnel. A suicide bomber blew himself up in Afghan capital Kabul, killing himself and injuring six others on Sunday, police said. "A terrorist riding an explosive-laden bicycle targeted a police van in Yakatot area of Kabul city at 03:45 p.m. local time today, leaving himself dead and injuring six police personnel," a senior police officer Mohammad Zahir confirmed in talks with media. Meantime, an eye-witness, who declined to be identified, told Xinhua that the attacker targeted a bus of police personnel, killing two persons and injuring six others. The attacker was also killed in his blast, he added. Several shops and houses at nearby were also damaged due to the blast, the eye witness added. The attack took place in the wake of 99 Taliban surrender to the government in the northern Baghlan and western Herat provinces on Sunday and Saturday. A total of 80 armed militants give up fighting and handed over their weapons to government in the northern Baghlan Province on Sunday, provincial governor Sultan Mohammad Abadi said. "Today we are welcoming a group of 80 former dissident brothers who laid down arms and handed over their weapons to government," Abadi said in his remarks in a ceremony to welcome the former militants. "With joining these brothers to the peace process, the security will be further improved in Baghlan Province," the governor hoped in his remarks. The former militants group, Abadi said, was involved in anti- government activities in Deh Salah district over the past couple of years, adding the government wants more fighters to follow the step and join the peace process. A day earlier on Saturday, 19 more Taliban militants gave up fighting and handed over their weapons to the authorities in western Herat Province, the provincial governor Sayyed Fazlullah Wahidi said on Sunday. "Two groups of former insurgents composed of 19 people renounced violence and joined the government-initiated peace process late on Saturday," Governor Sayyed Fazlullah Wahidi told Xinhua. The former militants were active in Karukh and Chishti Sharif Districts of the province over the past couple of years, the governor added.