Afghanistan signs draft pact with Taliban-allied militants

Record ID: 103063

  • Title: Afghanistan signs draft pact with Taliban-allied militants
  • Date: 18th May 2016
  • Summary: ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF HEKMATYAR ARRIVING AT HOTEL, WALKING ALONG RED CARPET PAST HONOUR GUARD AND GREETING SUPPORTERS
  • Embargoed: 2nd June 2016 16:44
  • Keywords: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Taliban Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan
  • Location: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
  • City: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Insurgencies
  • Reuters ID: LVA0034IC5V0N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    Afghanistan signed a draft agreement on Wednesday (May 18) with the Hezb-e-Islami militant group in a move the government hopes could lead to a full peace accord with one of the most notorious warlords in the insurgency.
    Hezb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is a veteran of decades of Afghan war and rights groups have accused his group of widespread abuses, particularly during civil war in the early 1990s, when he briefly served as prime minister.
    Under the terms of the draft, members of Hezb-e-Islami would be offered an amnesty, similar to that offered in 2007 to warlords accused of war crimes as well as a release of prisoners held by Afghan authorities.
    The government would also work to have the group removed from a U.N. black list.
    The group, which for years had close ties with Pakistan, would not join the government but would be recognised as a political party and be involved in major political decisions.
    In 2003, the U.S. State Department included Hekmatyar on its terrorist list, accusing him of participating in and supporting attacks by al Qaeda and the Taliban.
    However, his group has played only a minor role in the Taliban-led insurgency in recent years and the deal is unlikely to have any immediate practical impact on security.
    But with little sign that the Taliban are ready to join peace talks, the deal offers President Ashraf Ghani's government a concrete sign that it is making headway in drawing insurgent groups away from the battlefield and into the political process.
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