From guns to roses, life for close to 700 militants from nine separatist groups in Assam turned full circle on Tuesday when they laid down arms to join the mainstream in the presence of Union home minister P Chidambaram.

In one of northeast India’s biggest surrender ceremonies in Assam’s main city of Guwahati, a total of 676 militants laid down weapons and in return received roses from the home minister.

“Leave the past behind and look at the future positively. We assure that each one of you would be treated equally and be able to lead a life of dignity and honour,” Chidambaram said.

The nine groups are part of two major ethnic groups - the tribal Kukis in eastern Assam and the Adivasis inhabiting the northern and western parts of Assam.

Among the major groups that surrendered were the Kuki Revolutionary Army, the Hmar People’s Convention, the Birsa Commando Force, and the Adivasi Cobra Militant of Assam.

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Diehard supporters of slain Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi seized control Monday of “the entire city of Bani Walid,” a local official said, prompting the deployment of National Transitional Council forces to regain the town.

“The loyalists of Qaddafi took control of the entire city of Bani Walid,” said M’barek al-Fotmani, a former member of the ruling National Transitional Council in the desert oasis, 170 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of Tripoli.

The resident, who did not want to be named, said four people were killed and 20 wounded in the fighting. He said the sides were using heavy weaponry including 106 mm anti-tank weapons.

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Alleged rebels of the FARC have attacked a radar station in the Cauca department, killing one policeman and causing delays at the airport of Colombia’s third largest city, Cali, authorities said Saturday.

The rebels attacked the radio station, which was guarded by approximately 18 policemen, late Friday evening.

The rebels were able to disable the radar station, kill one policemen and injure another three.

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More than 100 people have been killed in a series of attacks in northern Nigeria’s largest city, officials said Saturday, in what appears to be the deadliest strike yet by a radical Islamist group.

The attackers in Kano on Friday evening struck eight government security buildings, the national police said, including the regional police headquarters, two local police stations, the local headquarters of the State Security Service, the home of a police official and the state police command headquarters.

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Army deserters took the town of Duma just northeast of Damascus on Saturday after fierce fighting, activists said, a day before the Arab League decides on the future of its Syria observer mission.

Citing militants on the ground, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the mutineers had seized control of the entire town some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital.

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Thirteen policemen including the officer-in-charge of Bhandaria police station were killed and two constables were injured in a landmine blast triggered by suspected CPI (Maoist) at Salho jungle in Jharkhand’s Garhwa district.

Confirming the casualties, Jharkhand police spokesman IG RK Mallik said that the blast was triggered by Maoists when the police team along with the block development officer (BDO) was returning after clearing a road blockade near Badgarh. The BDO who was travelling in his own vehicle is safe.

At the time of the blast, 15 policemen including the driver were in the anti-landmine vehicle.

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Some 1,000 soldiers backed up by 20 tanks captured three al-Shabaab bases, a senior security official said.

African Union forces backing the government say they have advanced outside the capital for the first time.

Al-Shabaab is under attack on several fronts, with troops from Kenya and Ethiopia also gaining ground recently.

Correspondents says this is the biggest joint offensive by the government and the AU force, Amisom, since August 2011.

Troops from Djibouti have recently arrived in Mogadishu to bolster Amisom’s 12,000 soldiers, while the AU is asking the UN to approve a further 50% increase in troop numbers.

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