Taliban deputy defence minister Mulla Fazal Akhund who held negotiations with Northern Alliance commander Gen Rashid Dostum in Mazar-i-Sharif, told reporters that all Taliban forces in Kunduz, including the non-Afghan fighters, were under his control and all would give themselves up. “There will be peace and nothing will happen,” he said at the venue of the meeting.
Uzbek warlord Gen Rashid Dostum confirmed that the Taliban had agreed to disarm and surrender by Sunday. He said that both the Afghan fighters and the so-called foreign fighters in the city — mostly Arabs, Chechen, Uzbeks and Pakistanis — would surrender to the Northern Alliance.
The Afghan fighters would be allowed to go home, while the foreign fighters would be arrested and tried under the law of Islamic State of Afghanistan, he said.
Over 20,000 Taliban fighters besides a large number of foreign fighters are holding out in Pakhtoon-dominated northern Kunduz that guards routes to Tajikistan.
Taliban say the number of foreign fighters is in hundreds. According to the Northern Alliance, it is close to 10,000.
Gen Dostum said his forces would fight those refusing to surrender.
“We have reached an understanding with the Northern Alliance. The talks have been fruitful and productive,” Muhammad Gul Zubair, the spokesperson for Kunduz Governor Haji Omar Khan told Dawn by telephone. He said that Mulla Fazal had had extensive talks with Gen Dostum, which continued overnight and resumed on Thursday.
He, however, expressed ignorance about the details of the agreement. “We all are waiting for Mulla Fazal to return.”
One Taliban commander, however, denied they had agreed to surrender. A spokesman for the Taliban told the BBC Pushto Service that talks were still continuing and that no agreement had been reached with the Northern Alliance yet.
A Northern Alliance commander, Mohammed Daud, told the radio that some Taliban men riding in 20 pick-ups had been attacked by their own comrades when they were on their way to surrender.
Some reports had earlier said that talks to negotiate the end of siege in Kunduz had collapsed.
The Kunduz governor spokesman said that there had been less intense bombing of Kunduz on Thursday and US raids had been relatively light. But he charged that some elements in the Northern Alliance were out to sabotage the understanding. He said that fighting had broken out to the east of Kunduz from Takhar side. “This may have negative bearing on the agreement,” he said.
The Taliban had earlier offered to a UN supervised neutral authority to lay down their heavy weapons and hand over foreign fighters for extradition to their respective countries. But the Northern Alliance said that they would storm the city if surrender talks did not succeed by Thursday night.
AFP ADDS: Taliban troops began surrendering from Kunduz on Thursday as the Northern Alliance launched an offensive after the expiry of a deadline to give in or die.
About 100 soldiers gave up, but the Taliban and foreign militants said to be loyal to Osama bin Laden held firm in the besieged city despite US bombing and heavy tank fire.
Around 100 Taliban soldiers crossed the front lines during the initial advance, which stopped at nightfall, and were taken in trucks to Taloqan, the capital of neighbouring Takhar province.
“A number of Taliban troops opted to give themselves up and some said they were willing to join the ranks of the Northern Alliance,” said Taliban commander Najibullah, who crossed the lines to negotiate their surrender.
“As far as the foreign militia are concerned, the negotiations are continuing.”
UN, US and British officials said they could play no role in Kunduz, but the international community urged the Northern Alliance to avoid using the capture of the city for a bloody settling of scores.