Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was organizing a militia of former Taliban fighters, Pakistani militants, and Pashtun warriors with the aim of destabilizing the new government in Afghanistan. Hekmatyar, leader of a Pashtun political faction, relentlessly shelled Kabul in the early 1990s as he tried to drive the Tajik-dominated government of Burhanuddin Rabbani from power. For years, Hekmatyar received money and arms from Pakistan, until Islamabad turned its patronage to the Taliban. The civil war killed thousands of Afghans, left tens of thousands more homeless, and obliterated whole neighborhoods in the capital city. While Hekmatyar is now reportedly in Iran, a Jalalabad intelligence officer said he has been told that Hekmatyar is trying to draw together an opposition fighting force. The officer said he did not have details about Hekmatyar's plans or strategy, but he emphasized that such a militia could become a significant concern and that intelligence operatives ''will be positioned to find out more information.''
Afghanistan needs this guy like it needs a good civil war. Hekmatyar may be the most evil man in the world. |