Amnesty possible for some Daesh members in Afghanistan

An Afghan official says members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group – who surrendered to security forces in the northern province of Jawzjan this week – may be granted amnesty despite atrocities they perpetrated against civilians.

The announcement was made on Saturday after more than 150 Daesh terrorists, including two senior commanders, from their strongholds in Darzab and Qush Tepa, gave themselves up following their defeat in a fight with the Taliban.

"There is an amnesty for the Daesh group that surrendered in Darzab district," said Mohammad Reza Ghafouri, spokesman for the Jawzjan provincial governor.

"The group will not be presented to legal and judicial authorities because they are taking part in the peace process," he said, adding that people with complaints about individual members of the terrorist outfit were free to bring their case to the courts.

"Any adversary of the government that joins the peace process has to be given amnesty because if they are taken before the judges, other adversaries who have reached an agreement with the government will go cold on it," Ghafouri noted.

Thousands of civilians have fled the area in Darzab and Qush Tepa districts, with many giving detailed accounts that the Takfiri group had taken away women and young girls from their families, raped and in some cases murdered.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish also said the military had done its duty and it was now for the government to decide the next step.

"As defenders of our people and country, our job is to fight our enemy. Now they have surrendered...our job is done," he said.

Jawzjan security commander General Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani, however, expressed skepticism about any reconciliation with the terrorist group, saying that any Daesh member who had committed crimes against humanity would face justice.

SS