Hezb-i-Islami former secretary assassinated in Pakistan

A senior member of the Hezb-i-Islami group in Afghanistan was shot dead in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, members of the group and police confirmed. Haji Faird, the former spokesperson of Hezb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, was killed on Tuesday by unknown gunmen.

Originally from Kunduz, Farid was based in Peshawar for the past decade with his family and actively supported Hekmatyar's return to Kabul in early May.

He was a family relative of Hekmatyar, who he served during the Afghan civil war in the 1990s where the former controversial leader stands accused of firing thousands of rockets into Kabul.