The US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has been blamed for the failure of US diplomatic efforts and the “humiliating end” in Afghanistan. The accusation comes a day after Khalilzad spoke about engagement with the Taliban for evacuations.
The news agency Reuters carried a report on Sunday citing current and former US officials who claimed Khalilzad had provided the Taliban with many opportunities and political support during his three-year diplomatic mission, weakening the position of the ousted Kabul government and listening to the views of his opponents.
The report opens with a depiction of Khalizad’s handshake with Abdul Ghani Baradar at a Doha hotel after the Taliban and the US signed an agreement in February 2020.
Officials speaking to Reuters declined to be named, and some expressed concern about how Mr Khalilzad remained in office as the Afghan peace process came to an end. “There is no longer any Afghan reconciliation left,” one of the officials was quoted.
Khalilzad declined to comment while some other US officials say the envoy was doing what he was told by the successive Trump and Biden administrations, that is, to facilitate a withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Underlining the mistakes the US envoy made, the US officials said he was too early to make clear that the United States wanted to leave Afghanistan. They also blamed Khalilzad for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners from Afghan jails.
The report puts a big question mark on Khalilzad’s future, suggesting that he may be removed.
A day before the invective by the unnamed US officials, Khalilzad took to Twitter to appreciate the Taliban’s cooperation in the evacuations of US nationals and others from Afghanistan. He said the US would continue to engage with the Taliban on the evacuations.
3/3 We will continue to engage the government of Qatar, the Taliban, and others to ensure the safe passage of our citizens, other foreign nationals, and Afghans that want to leave.
— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) September 10, 2021
from SAMAA https://ift.tt/3lfH9k3
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