US Afghanistan envoy Zalmay Khalilzad resigns | Abroad

Khalilzad previously hinted at dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in Afghanistan, but according to US government sources from Reuters news agency, he himself is the face of diplomatic failure of the Americans in Afghanistan.

He said more than a month ago that a deal with the Taliban had failed after President Ashraf Ghani fled his country in August. The subsequent entry of the fundamentalists into Kabul led to a chaotic evacuation of Western civilians, which Khalilzad said could have been prevented.

Conversations with Taliban

The envoy, who took office three years ago, told the Financial Times at the time that the Taliban would not move into the capital yet, but that the US ultimately did not want to take responsibility for the security of Kabul. He previously led talks with the Taliban in Qatar, in which the Trump administration agreed that the US military would be withdrawn as early as May this year. President Biden postponed the departure until the fall.

Meanwhile, Western influence in Afghanistan appears to be waning. Russia will hold talks with the Taliban, China and Pakistan on Wednesday. The US announced on Monday that it would not be present for “logistical reasons”, but may be present at follow-up consultations.

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