Renowned HIA commander Kashmir Khan dies

ASADABAD (Pajhwok): Prominent Gulbadin Hikmatyar-led Hezb-i-Islami’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an official said on Sunday.

The police chief for eastern Kunar province, Brig. Gen. Abdul Habib Syedkhel, confirmed the demise of HIA top commander to Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said Khan’s body was being shifted to Kunar from Pakistan and his funeral and burial ceremonies would be performed in Shegal district, his hometown.

A source close to the Kashmir Khan’s family said the commander was suffering from diabetes and was under treatment in Peshawar.

The source said Kashmir Khan would be buried in Shegal district.

Syed Abdullah Nizami, a local journalist, said when he last interviewed Kashmir Khan, his last wish after 40 years of struggle was durable peace and stability in the country.

“For a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, we are ready to scarify anything,” Nizami quoted Khan as saying in his rare interview.

Nh/ma