On Thursday, Mr. Hekmatyar returned to Kabul, after decades of allying with and then fighting against almost every faction in Afghanistan, backed by a peace deal with President Ashraf Ghani. The deal gives Mr. Hekmatyar immunity for past crimes, releases dozens of political prisoners linked to him, and allows him to lead his party, the Hizb-e-Islami, back into Afghan politics. – New York Times
The Defense Department will deliver an updated Afghanistan strategy proposal to the White House within the next week detailing the military's tactics in the region, senior leaders of the force told Congress on Thursday. – Washington Free Beacon
The head of U.S. Special Operations Command defended Thursday the decision to drop the Pentagon’s largest non-nuclear bomb — nicknamed the "mother of all bombs" — in Afghanistan last month. – The Hill
Thousands of supporters of Afghan former warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar rallied in Kabul's main football stadium on Friday, making a stark demonstration of force in the city his fighters helped destroy during civil war two decades ago. - Reuters