KABUL, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-nine Taliban rebels renounced violence and surrendered to Afghan National Police (ANP) in two provinces, the country's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
"A group of 18 armed Taliban surrendered to ANP after the group's commander was killed in Tokhi village, Dihrawud district of southern Uruzgan province," the ministry said in a statement.
In addition, an 11-member group of Taliban also surrendered to ANP in Bala Buluk district of western Farah province, according to the statement.
They handed over 11 guns and some amount of ammunition to ANP, the statement noted.
The statement did not detail when the former militants surrendered, only saying "with the insurgents' surrender, peace and stability would be further strengthened in several parts of the two provinces."
The Afghan government set up a High Peace Council and launched the peace and reconciliation process in 2010 to encourage Taliban to disarm and give up militancy against the government.
From that time, more than 10,000 Taliban militants have laid down arms and joined the process, according to peace officials, but the claim has been rejected by the armed outfit as "baseless."
The Taliban has yet to make comments.
