ISI chief meets Hekmatyar, Taliban leaders in Kabul

KABUL: Chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed met the Hezb-e-Islami leader and former Afghan prime minister, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and Taliban leaders in Kabul, Geo News reported on Sunday.

According to the reports of Afghan media, the ISI chief and Hekmatyar shared views on the anticipated inclusive government in Afghanistan. The Taliban are due to form an inclusive government within days and the group’s co-founder Mullah Baradar is likely to head the new Afghanistan set-up, while the world anxiously waits to see how they include other groups.

Baradar, who heads the Taliban's political office, will be joined by Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob — the son of late Taliban founder Mullah Omar — and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, in senior positions in the government, three sources said.

The Taliban had enforced a strict sharia rule when it stayed in power from 1996 to 2001. But this time around, the movement has tried to present a more moderate face to the world, promising to protect human rights and refrain from reprisals against old enemies.