Peshawar, May 2 (RFE/RL) - Reports from Peshawar city officials (anonymous) of Gulbuddin Hekmatyr's Afghan faction as saying fighters loyal to Hekmatyr have been deployed to Kabul to support the government forces of Afghanistan's President Burhanuddin Rabbani. The reports say one group of Hekmatyr's forces have already been airlifted to Kabul, and thousands more are expected to follow to help Rabbani defend Kabul against attack by Taleban islamic forces.
The reports, including a report from a RFE/RL correspondent in Peshawar today, say there have been intensive talks in recent days in Peshawar and Kabul between representatives of Rabbani and Hekmatyr. And the reports speak of an expected formal reconciliation to be signed between the two rival Afghan faction leaders to be attended by Arab and Islamic leaders.
Under a previous power-sharing agreement, Hekmatyr was named Prime Minister in a Rabbani government, but Hehmatyr never assumed the post, and his forces continued to battle government forces. Hekmatyr's forces also have suffered signiticant loses to the Taleban islamic forces.
The reports, including a report from a RFE/RL correspondent in Peshawar today, say there have been intensive talks in recent days in Peshawar and Kabul between representatives of Rabbani and Hekmatyr. And the reports speak of an expected formal reconciliation to be signed between the two rival Afghan faction leaders to be attended by Arab and Islamic leaders.
Under a previous power-sharing agreement, Hekmatyr was named Prime Minister in a Rabbani government, but Hehmatyr never assumed the post, and his forces continued to battle government forces. Hekmatyr's forces also have suffered signiticant loses to the Taleban islamic forces.