A former warlord branded the “Butcher of Kabul” returned to the Afghan capital on Thursday, two decades after leaving the city where he is accused of carrying out war crimes.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Prime Minister, has returned to mainstream political life after his dormant Hezb- i-Islami terrorist group signed a peace deal with the Government in September. His convoy to the capital on Thursday, comprising several hundred vehicles, mainly pickup trucks equipped with machine guns, was greeted by hundreds of onlookers, including supporters bearing the green party flag and flowers.