...the Pashtun equivalent of men...members
laid down their weapons and joined the grinding of the peace processor in the western province of Herat...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
on Thursday morning, local officials said.
The group was active in the Zer-e-Koh district of Herat province, according to officials.
Mardan Noorzai, the leader of the group, said that "with the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country, the time of jihad is over, and we will no longer continue to fight the country's military."
Abdul Saboor Qane, provincial governor, said that with the joining of these men in the grinding of the peace processor, "security will improve in Zer-e-Koh and Shindand districts of the province."
"These men will be sent back to Zer-e-Koh in support of the security force members in fighting against the Taliban," he said.
The Taliban has not yet commented.
This comes as festivities are ongoing in some parts of the country, especially in the north of Afghanistan.
Sources confirmed on Thursday that six district centers have fallen into Taliban control since last night: two districts (Qaramqul and Grezwan) in Faryab, Charcheno district in Uruzgan, Tala wa Barfak in Baghlan, Arza in Pashtun-infested Logar and Qarabagh district in Ghazni province.