Local Taliban leader surrenders to government in northern Afghan province

  A Taliban local leader together with five comrades have surrendered to government in Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz, a local official said on Sunday.

"Payyenda Mohammad after understanding the truth about the situation of his country defected the Taliban ranks and surrendered to provincial branch of National Directorate of Security (NDS) late Saturday," a NDS official told Xinhua on the condition of anonymity.

The NDS is the national intelligence agency of the country.

The surrendered man was leading a group of Taliban militants in Dasht-e-Archi district of the province, according to the official.

"Mohammad took the decision after founding the high-ranking leaders of the Taliban insurgent group have made contacts with the Russia recently," the source said.

Some Taliban members or their fathers were involved in fighting against former Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan in 1979 to 1989.

The source also noted several hundreds of Taliban members would join the government-initiated peace and reconciliation process in near future in the province, bordering Tajikistan.

source: Xinhua