REUTERS-The United Nations
Security Council on Friday dropped sanctions against Afghan strongman Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar, potentially paving the way for the notorious
warlord to return
openly to Afghanistan.
The Afghan
government requested the move as part of a peace deal with Hekmatyar and his
militant group, Hezb-i-Islami, in September.
The deal was
criticized by some Afghans and human rights groups for the pardon it granted to
Hekmatyar and many of his fighters.
While playing only a
small role in the current insurgent conflict in Afghanistan, Hekmatyar was a
major figure during the bloody civil war of the 1990s, when he was accused of
indiscriminately firing rockets into Kabul, as well as other human rights
abuses.
Spokespeople for
Hekmatyar and the Afghan government were not immediately available to comment.
In removing
Hekmatyar from the list of people sanctioned for their ties to al-Qaeda,
Islamic State, and other militant groups, the U.N. unfroze his assets, and
dropped a travel ban and arms embargo against him.
Hekmatyar's
whereabouts have been unknown since he signed the peace deal with Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani in September via a prerecorded video from an undisclosed
location.
With the U.N.
sanctions now removed, government officials expect Hekmatyar to eventually
return to the Afghan capital, despite the continued controversy.
REUTERS
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