Afghan govt. to finalize peace agreement with militant group

Afghanistan is reportedly set to finalize a peace deal with a militant group within days in a breakthrough effort to end the 15-year conflict in the country.

Ataul Rahman Saleem, the deputy head of the Afghan government’s High Peace Council, said the deal with the armed wing of Hezb-i-Islami could be completed on Sunday after two years of talks.

A senior representative of Hezb-i-Islami, Amin Karim, also said he expected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to endorse the final version of the agreement.

The agreement would mark a much-needed success for Ghani in forging peace with militants fighting against the government in Kabul.

Attempts by the Ghani administration have so far failed to open a way for dialogue with the Taliban militant group, mainly via overtures to the Pakistani government which is widely suspected of supporting the group.

The deal commits the group to ending its war against Kabul, respecting the Afghan constitution, and ceasing all contact with other armed, anti-government militant groups.

According to the report, Hezb-i-Islami has only intermittently been active on the battlefield for some time. Its last known major attack was in 2013, when at least 15 people, including six American soldiers, were killed in Kabul.

Saleem also stated that a few points in the agreement were still to be thrashed out, adding, "It is strongly possible that we get to the final points tomorrow and finalize the peace negotiations."

Brokered under the auspices of the High Peace Council, a government body tasked with negotiating an end to almost 40 years of war, the agreement allows Hezb-i-Islami to operate as a bona fide political party and participate in elections at every level.

It also gives legal immunity for "all past political and military proceedings" by Hezb-i-Islami members and mandates the release of all prisoners within three months.

Hezbi-i-Islami in turn pledges to end the war, function as an "active political party," halt all military activity and dissolve all its military organizations, and cease all contact with other anti-government organizations.

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