Former Mujahedeen Stage Rally in Kabul

An Afghan woman passes by a line of Afghan riot police outside the national stadium in Kabul on Friday, Feb. 23, 2007. Tens of thousands of former mujahedeen, including top government figures, rallied Friday to show support for a proposed amnesty for Afghans suspected of war crimes and some called for the death of those demanding prosecution of warlords who were involved in a quarter-century of fighting. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder) (David Guttenfelder - AP)

All were leaders of the Northern Alliance that toppled the Taliban regime with U.S. military support in 2001.

Former fighter Azizullah, 50, who goes by one name, said said he lost three sons during the anti-Soviet war. He was carrying a large, framed picture of Rabbani.

"I lost my sons for Afghanistan and for the pride of jihad," he said.

Ghulam Hazrat, 40, a former officer with Sayyaf, hailed the fact that mujahedden leaders of Uzbek, Tajik, Pashtun and Hazara factions that fought bitterly among themselves after the anti-Soviet war were now sharing the same stage.

Surrounded by bodyguards, the leaders arrived separately in convoys of SUVs to accolades from their respective supporters.

"It's a very big step toward the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan," Hazrat said. "The international community should respect mujaheddin. They are the heirs of 2 millions Afghan martyrs (during the Soviet war). These people also fought against terrorists and al-Qaida."

The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch has called for officials including Khalili and Dostum to face trial before a special court for alleged war crimes during the civil war _ although no such tribunal has been organized or appears imminent.

In a report, the rights group also listed Fahim, Ismail Khan and Rabbani as among the "worst perpetrators."

Others who should be brought to trial include Taliban leader Mullah Omar and fugitive warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, it said.