The government of Afghanistan has sent a formal letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) urging to remove the sanctions from the leaders of the Hezbi Islami organization, a National Security Council (NSC) spokesman said on Monday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The letter was sent from the Afghan Foreign Ministry to the sanctions committee of the Security Council, Tawab Ghorzang said, as quoted by the Khaama Press news agency.
In late September, the Afghan government signed a peace agreement with the Hezbi Islami, following long-lasting talks. As the agreement was signed, President Ashraf Ghani said that the sanctions would likely be lifted from the Hezbi Islami leadership.
Hezbi Islami, or the Afghanistan party of Islam, is a Sunni political and paramilitary organization founded by former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in 1976.
Hekmatyar is known for involvement in various domestic conflicts, in particular, the 1979-1989 civil war, when the militants were active in the military and political struggle against the Afghan government forces, and represented one of the most influential opposition forces in the country. Later, Hekmatyar headed the mujaheddin government in the 1992-1996 civil war, and was blamed for initiating the murder of scores of civilians during the 1992-1996 civil war.
The organization represents the interests of the Pashtuns, the Iranian people inhabiting mainly the southeast, south and southwest of Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. The party has legal representation in Afghanistan's parliament.
In 2012-2013, the Hezbi Islami took responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks. The United States considers the party an extremist organization.
This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.