Afghan warlord backs elections, rejects US troop increase

Infamous Afghan warlord and ex-prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar rejected any increase in US troops Saturday as he said elections were the only way to bring stability to the war-torn country.The 70-year-old, known widely in the international press as the "Butcher of Kabul", told reporters that Afghanistan desperately needed "a strong central government led by a powerful president"."Without this it is impossible to bring peace and stability to the country," he said, in his first press conference