ROME, April 17: Afghanistan’s former king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, is scheduled to depart on Wednesday from Rome and head back to his country after nearly 30 years spent in exile.

A Boeing 707 belonging to the Italian military will fly Zahir Shah and his family to an unspecified airport in Afghanistan, where he is expected to land on Thursday.

Zahir Shah, 87, will be escorted by an Italian security detail comprising around 50 carabinieri belonging to a special division originally set up in the 1970s to fight political terrorism in Italy.

The Italians have been asked to protect him for two or three months in Kabul. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the request had come directly from United States President George W. Bush.

The ex-king’s return had been postponed several times because of security reasons.

King Zahir has been living in Italy since he was toppled by his cousin in 1973.

Afghanistan’s interim Premier Hamid Karzai, who arrived in Rome Tuesday to accompany the former monarch back home, said his return had “tremendous significance”.

Once in Afghanistan, Zahir Shah is expected to preside over the opening on June 10 of a Loya Jirga, a traditional Grand Assembly of Afghan leaders, which will rule the country until elections are held.—dpa