TEHRAN - SIS-Khorasan fighters who ‘surrendered’ to Afghan security forces earlier this week in northern Afghanistan’s Jawzjan province may be granted amnesty by the Afghan government, according to reports.

“There is an amnesty for the Daesh (ISIS) group that surrendered in Darzab district,” Mohammad Reza Ghafouri, spokesman for the Jawzjan provincial governor, told media persons. He said the amnesty offer is meant to encourage militants to lay down arms and surrender, without facing charges.

“The group will not be presented to legal and judicial authorities because they are taking part in the peace process,” he said, drawing sharp reaction from people who accuse ISIS fighters of committing horrendous war crimes in Afghanistan, including murder and rape.

Around 200 ISIS fighters, including two senior commanders, surrendered few days back in Jawzjan after facing defeat at the hands of Taliban, with some reports suggesting that they were either captured or evacuated by the security forces.

A former government official told Tehran Times on Friday that the fighters were actually evacuated by Afghan army helicopters on the orders of the U.S. authorities, which he said is “another piece of evidence that ISIS in Afghanistan means U.S. mercenaries”.

“How innocent Afghan, women, children were slaughtered by these foreign backed terrorists and now our government under the orders from the U.S. military and U.S. embassy in Kabul evacuate them,” said the official, wishing anonymity.