The US has designated Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, head of the Hezb-e Islami party, as a 'global terrorist' for his alleged links with the Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Pashtun warlord Hekmatyar, a protégé of the CIA during the Afghan war against the Soviet army in the eighties, has a history of shifting allegiances. He has done so several times during the last 20 years. Of late, media reports have connected him to the attacks on US troops in Afghanistan.

"The US has information indicating that Hekmatyar has participated in and supported terrorist acts committed by the Al Qaeda and the Taliban," state department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Wednesday.

"Because of his terrorist activity, the United States is designating Hekmatyar as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' under executive order 13224," Boucher said.

The designation enables the US administration to seize Hekmatyar's properties in the United States or any assets held by him in US-affiliated companies and financial institutions.

The United States will also request the UN Committee on Terrorism to include him on its consolidated list of entities and individuals associated with the Al Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, Boucher said.

If approved, the move would obligate UN member states to impose sanctions, including assets freezes, under UN Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1390 and 1455, he added.

PTI