Militants, in an effort to curtail surrenders by their comrades, are targeting the friends and relatives of those who have recently sided with the government, officials said.

In the latest such incident, Taliban members targeted the homes of former comrades who gave up violence in northern Afghanistan early this month.

"Taliban militants have attacked the homes of their colleagues who have recently switched sides in Sayaad District," Sar-e-Pul Provincial Governor Sayed Anwar Rahmati told Central Asia Online. "But we reacted immediately and killed six militants, including the Taliban shadow governor for Sayaad District."

Only last week, 89 militants joined the peace process in Sar-e-Pul, Rahmati added.

Afghan security forces are determined to drive all the militants from the area, he said.

In an effort to accelerate peace and reconciliation with Taliban militants in Kunduz, another northern province of Afghanistan, the tribal elders have set up peace talks that have already yielded some results.

"We made contacts with local tribal elders to ask them to persuade armed militants to surrender," Mohammad Anwar Jegdalek, the newly appointed governor of Kundoz, told Central Asia Online. "In the past two weeks, almost 200 insurgents ... have joined the peace process."

"We're working to convince the militants to put down arms peacefully; otherwise, we will take military action against them, " he continued, "but I am sure we will not get into a military push, as (our) opponents understand reality and want to support the peace process."

In other parts of northern Afghanistan, after Afghan and coalition forces have launched offensives, dozens of Taliban fighters have joined the Afghan peace process.

In just the past two months, about 1,500 militants have surrendered to pro-government forces in northern Afghanistan, said Lotfullah Mashal, spokesman for the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

The militants are acting to guarantee their future since they realise they are not going to win, Mashal said.

"We're providing jobs and security for those who are giving up and switching sides," Mashal added. "As we have already said, we're committed to protect those who surrender."

The Afghan government is ready to place surrendering militants in the ranks of pro-government forces that are working for peace and stability, he said.