Hekmatyar parts ways with Taliban

From The News in Pakistan.

Fugitive Afghan leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar told The Associated Press his forces have ended cooperation with the Taliban and suggested that he was open to talks with President Hamid Karzai. In a video response to questions submitted by AP, Hekmatyar also recounted how US forces nearly caught him on two occasions but he got away. Hekmatyar, speaking in front of a plain white wall at an undisclosed location, indicated that his group contacted Taliban leaders some time in 2003 and agreed to wage a joint Jihad against American troops. “The Jihad went into high gear but later it gradually went down as certain elements among the Taliban rejected the idea of a joint struggle against the aggressor,” he said.

Hekmatyar was the former Prime Minister of Afghanistan prior to being overthrown by the Taliban. Since 9/11, he was expelled from Iran, backed Taliban fighters against the Coaliton, attempted to join Al Qaeda, and is said to be behind an assassination attempt of Karzai.

In every respect this guy is a true bad guy. It will be interesting to watch events as they unfold.

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