Head of Afghanistan’s Hizb-e-Islami to return to Kabul from exile

KABUL, May 4 (Xinhua) — Gulbudin Hekmatyar, leader of Afghanistan‘s Hizb-e-Islami, or Islamic Party, is due to return to Kabul on Thursday, ending decades of exile and fighting against the government, said a statement released by the presidential palace.

“President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani is scheduled to deliver a speech at the ceremony to welcome Hekmatyar,” the statement said.

Hekmatyar was dubbed “butcher of Kabul” by many Afghans for his active involvement in factional fighting in the 1990s and fighting Afghan and the U.S.-led coalition forces since the collapse of the Taliban regime in late 2001.

He inked a peace agreement with the Afghan government in September 2016 to join Afghan politics.

The peace agreement on Hizb-e-Islami and Hekmatyar’s return to Afghan politics have triggered mixed reactions from Afghans.

Many welcomed it as a stride toward boosting national reconciliation, while others accused him of killing thousands of people and calling for his prosecution.