Afghan peace jirga meets former militants

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A ranking member of an Afghan peace council met with former militants who embraced peace in the northern province of Kunduz, the U.N. mission there said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai last year convened a peace jirga tasked with finding ways to reach out to members of the Taliban in the spirit of reconciliation.

Attaulla Loodin, the second-highest ranking member on the jirga, said he met with former insurgents to discuss how the government can address some of their grievances.

"It is our Islamic and national responsibility to bring a sustainable peace in work together to save our country from this miserable conflict situation," he was quoted by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan as saying.

Jirga members said providing employment and humanitarian assistance to reformed militants were fundamental to the reconciliation strategy in Afghanistan.

A suicide bomber killed several people, including a regional governor, in Kunduz on Feb. 10.

Karzai during a May visit to Washington called on Afghan politicians to "show some courage" and work on the reconciliation and reintegration plans.

A tribal council met in Kabul in June to outline ways to bring insurgents into the political process and abandon their fight.