Renouncing violence : 12 Taliban fighters turn themselves in

HANGU:

At least 12 Taliban militants, including some key commanders, surrendered to the administration in this southern district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday.

According to officials, the militants belonged to the Aslam Farooqi-led faction of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). While turning themselves in, the militants promised to renounce violence and remain loyal to the state. Subsequently, they were shifted to a secret location for interrogation.

Earlier, Riaz Shah, an important TTP commander from the Gul Zaman-led faction, had also surrendered to the administration.

Gul Zaman, who belonged to Orakzai Agency and had switched loyalties to the Islamic State militant group, also known by its Arabic acronym Da’ish, was recently killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan’s border region.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th, 2015.