Afghan government signs draft peace deal

Afghanistan's government has signed a draft peace deal with a designated 'global terrorist' after lengthy negotiations that could pave the way for a similar accord with the Taliban.

The deal with warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is Afghanistan's first peace agreement in the 15 years since the Taliban launched their insurgency, after being driven from power following the 9/11 attacks on the US

The deal, signed on live television on Thursday, grants full political rights to his Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin party and obliges the Afghan authorities to work to have it removed from the United Nations' list of foreign terrorist organisations.

Hekmatyar himself was designated by the US as a global terrorist in 2003.

He was blacklisted at Washington's request by the UN the same year. He is believed to live in Pakistan.