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| Insurgents lay down their arms to begin peace process in Uruzgan | |
 Abdul Samad, an insurgent commander, speaks with provincial media members after a reintegration and reconciliation ceremony at the governor’s compound in Tarin Kowt district, Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, Feb. 7. Samad and 12 other insurgents came to the governor’s compound to lay down their arms, renounce their affiliation to the insurgency and begin their reintegration process as part of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program. The APRP is a nation-wide Afghan program that provides insurgents with an opportunity to peacefully and permanently rejoin their communities with honor, dignity and forgiveness.
Thirteen men led by insurgent commander Abdul Samad walked into the governor’s compound, rifles in hand, proudly carrying Afghan flags to begin their reintegration and reconciliation process as part of the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program. The APRP is a nation-wide Afghan program that provides insurgents with an opportunity to peacefully and permanently rejoin their communities with honor, dignity and forgiveness. Mohammad Omar Shirzad, the Uruzgan Provincial Governor, hosted the ceremony and welcomed the men with open arms. In exchange for turning in their weapons, Shirzad and other provincial leadership presented each of the men with a Quran and ceremoniously wrapped each man’s head with a new turban. During the ceremony, provincial leadership addressed the former insurgents and the other attendees. Each speaker praised the reintegration program and the men for coming forth and working toward peace. Samad spoke on behalf of the former insurgents and said they were wrong to fight alongside the insurgents. “To all people fighting, stop killing your brothers, this is your country,” he said. Samad and the other men will work with reintegration officials in the coming weeks to finalize the process. |
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