Surrendering ISIS, Taliban members say they were 'tools used by others'

KUNAR -- At least 20 members of the Taliban and the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) on Wednesday (March 10) laid down their arms and surrendered to authorities in the Kunar provincial capital of Asadabad.

During a ceremony to mark the occasion, Kunar provincial governor Mohammad Iqbal Sayeed called on them to "choose the path of peace" and stressed that the war in Afghanistan does not have any religious grounds.

Local authorities are in talks with other militants to encourage them to surrender, he said.

Surrender ceremonies have been increasingly common across Afghanistan in recent months, with militants from ISIS and the Taliban turning over their weapons to the authorities and renouncing violence.

The Taliban have been battling the Afghan government for years, and a growing body of evidence suggests that ISIS and the Taliban-linked Haqqani Network have jointly planned and executed acts of terrorism in the country.

Many militants fighting the government have come to understand that their battle lacks religious justification, said Kunar police chief Col. Muhammad Yousuf Mazlumyar.

Regrets of ex-Taliban commander

Mohammad Ismail, the commander of the surrendering group of Taliban fighters, expressed remorse for his past actions and called on other insurgents to abandon violence, choose a peaceful life and contribute to the advancement of society.

"We fought for 10 years," he said at the ceremony. "I used to think that all these weapons and ammunition were God's help, but then I questioned: How does my killing my brothers help anything?"

"I then did a little research and came to the conclusion that this is not our war, we are just tools used by others," he said.

One of the militants, Sadiqullah Tasal, said he was affiliated with the Taliban and then joined ISIS three years ago.

"A friend of mine was with ISIS," he said. "He would say that the Taliban are on the wrong path; come join ISIS. It is on the right path."

"I joined ISIS, but now that I think that none of these groups is on the right path, because they are killing Afghans," he said.

Mawlawi Zia-ur-rahman Allahyar, a religious scholar in Kunar, called on the insurgents who gave up to encourage others to choose peace, send their children to school and fulfill their responsibility to build the country.

"Our soldiers are the real heroes and protectors of this land," he said. "We support them and call on the insurgents to come and choose the path of peace."