Peace Accord With HIG? A Deal with the Devil?

It appears that the Government of Afghanistan and the Hizb-e Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) insurgent group have reached an agreement to stop fighting. The insurgent group was formed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the mid-1970s. It became one of the main mujahideen factions during the fight against the Soviets and puppet Afghan regime in the 1980s and a main player during the civil war after the Soviet withdrawal. The group has been accused of numerous human rights abuses by many international groups. In recent years the militant group has been relatively ineffective and relegated to the sidelines. This peace agreement with the "Butcher of Kabul" may more symbolic in nature with an unlikely effect on the level of hostilities. The peace agreement with the HIG will (in the view of the U.S.) hopefully set the stage for successful peace talks (and agreements) with other insurgent groups fighting the Afghan government.

Read more:
"Afghanistan Signs Peace Deal With Hard Line Militant Group", Radio Free Europe, Sep 22, 2016.
U.S. Embassy Peace Accords Statement, Embassy of the United States, Kabul, Afghanistan, September 22, 2016.
Draft Peace Agreement Between Government and Herb-I-Islami Gulbuddin, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), September 22, 2016.