Aides to Fugitive Afghan Warlord Take Part in Peace Talks

ISLAMABAD—In a major move in efforts to end the conflict in Afghanistan, representatives of fugitive Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar have held preliminary peace talks with Afghan negotiators in Kabul.

Hekmatyar, 68, leads the Hezb-e-Islami faction that has staged deadly attacks against the U.S.-led international forces and their Afghan counterparts during the 15-year-old conflict. Hezb-e-Islami is Afghanistan’s second-largest insurgent group after the Taliban.