Gulbadin Hekmatyar is one of the key militant commanders currently fighting against the U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. The militants of Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami are active across Afghanistan.
While Hizb-e-Islami is not part of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, it has been working in many places alongside the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, as well as the Haqqani network, one of the key militant groups that are part of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Over the past year, Hekmatyar has been in the headlines for his willingness to enter into peace talks with the U.S., provided that it agrees to announce a timeframe for the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan.
In a recent interview, Gulbadin Hekmatyar said that he believes that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is alive. Following are some excerpts from the interview, as published by the Pashtu-language website www.srohi.com:[1]
"We Urge All Muslims to Support the Afghan Mujahideen If They Want to Do Something for Islam and the Muslim Ummah"
Q: "Who is the enemy and who are your allies?"
Hekmatyar: "Those who have captured our country [Afghanistan] and those who have helped and supported the invaders in capturing our country are the first and second-level enemies. Those stressing that invaders could remain in our country are the third-degree stupid enemies. Indeed, our war is with the first-level enemy. All those fighting for the independence of the country or those who support the ouster of foreign forces from the country are my friends."
Q: " What do you think of the...
