‘Butcher of Kabul’ Hekmatyar returns to Afghan capital after 20 years

Former warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has returned to mainstream political life after his dormant Hezb-i-Islami militant group signed a peace deal with the government last September which sparked revulsion from human rights groups and residents of the capital.

Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar speaks during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul on May 4, 2017. Omar Sobhani / Reuters

KABUL // A former warlord branded the “Butcher of Kabul” returned to the Afghan capital on Thursday, two decades after leaving the city where he stands accused of killing thousands of people.

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former prime minister, has returned to mainstream political life after his dormant Hezb-i-Islami militant group signed a peace deal with the government last September which sparked revulsion from human rights groups and residents of the capital.

He arrived in Kabul in a convoy of several hundred vehicles – mainly pickup trucks equipped with machine guns – and was greeted by hundreds of onlookers, including supporters bearing the green party flag and flowers.

As the convoy progressed through the capital’s main thoroughfares Hekmatyar was joined by hundreds of cars carrying people waving flags, singing the national anthem or chanting “Welcome to Kabul, Honourable Hekmatyar” in Pashto.

Hekmatyar earned his bloody nickname for laying siege to Kabul during the 1992-1996 civil war, bombarding it with rockets that inflicted some of the worst damage in nearly 40 years of conflict, destroying one-third of the city and killing tens of thousands of civilians.

Some of the capital’s residents greeted Hekmatyar’s return with hope, such as 35-year-old Jamshed, who said the “rare happy news” meant the warlord’s influence could help improve security.

For others, memories of death and destruction in the capital came rushing back.

“He will be surprised to see Kabul rebuilt again,” said one wry onlooker who did not wish to give his name.

Others like 20-year-old metal worker Edress Arabzada, could not forget the past but were pragmatic about the future.

Describing Hekmatyar was the “chief destroyer” of Kabul, Mr Arabzada said the warlord should apologise for the spilling the blood of innocent people.

But, he added, “we welcome his arrival to Afghanistan if it leads to peace and stability”.

* Agence France-Presse