Story highlights Warlord and ex-prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returns to the Afghan capital after nearly two decades in exile.

Hekmatyar oversaw heavy rocketing and shelling of Kabul in the early 1990s, earning the nickname "Rocketyar."

(CNN) One of Afghanistan's most notorious warlords Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has returned to the Afghan capital Kabul after nearly two decades in exile, reported Tolo, an Afghan news agency.

The return of Hekmatyar, a former prime minister, comes eight months after the government signed a peace deal with representatives of Hezb-e-Islami -- the insurgent faction led by the warlord.

Hekmatyar's convoy, complete with luxury SUVs loaded with heavily armed men, drove almost 200 kilometers from Nangarhar Province to Kabul on Thursday.

Dozens of Kabul residents gathered along the streets as he arrived, with some chanting, "Long live Hekmatyar." He then met with Afghan president Ashraf Ghani. He was expected to address a mass rally Friday at Kabul's Ghazi Stadium, Tolo reports.

The warlord's return is a symbolic moment and is "likely to send chills through the hearts of the many Afghans who endured rocket fire and worse from Hekmatyar's forces," says CNN's Ivan Watson.

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