Five former Afghan Jehadi commanders to surrender arms to UN-supported unit

Five former Jehadi commanders in Afghanistan are expected to surrender 15 tons of ammunition as well as over 30 light and heavy weapons to the Government weapons programme supported by the United Nations, that programme announced today.

The weapons, from the southwestern Paktya province, are being surrendered under the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) programme in association with the provincial Governor.

According to the DIAG announcement, they will be transferred to a central weapons collection point where they will be under the surveillance of the Afghan National Army (ANA). They will be either used by the security forces or destroyed if not serviceable.

The DIAG process, launched in June 2005 as the second phase in the demobilization and disarmament process, has so far collected 17,655 weapons as well as 25,760 pieces of boxed and 72,253 pieces of unboxed ammunition.

Of those weapons, 4,857 have been handed over by 124 candidates to the parliamentary and provincial council elections, the programme said.