Taliban members who agree to stop fighting are being paid 100 pounds per month as part of an effort to reduce attacks against NATO troops in Afghanistan, a British newspaper reported.
The Sunday Telegraph said the program, supervised by a British major general, was open to any Taliban fighters, even if they had committed atrocities such as beheadings and hanging of women.
Participants aren't interrogated but are asked to complete a questionnaire about their reasons for joining the insurgency, the newspaper said. They then enter a three-month training program in which they are are taught citizenship and must vow not to participate in violence. They are paid the 100 pounds during that period. A total of 98 million pounds is available in the program, the newspaper said.
The Sunday Telegraph said more than 2,700 insurgents had participated, including 900 in northern Afghanistan, which had seen a 30 percent decrease in violence.