Improving ties with US key to bringing Afghanistan back into international fold, Zalmay Khalilzad says
Improving ties with the US is key to bringing Afghanistan back into the international fold, Washington's former envoy to the country has said. Zalmay Khalilzad told The National that it would be a mistake for the US to turn its back on Afghanistan . "It creates a vacuum in a strategically important location, that our adversaries are only too happy to fill," he said. "It gives opportunities to…
Former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has said that improving relations with the United States is crucial in bringing the war-torn nation back into the international community. In an interview with The National, Khalilzad warned that failing to address the situation in Afghanistan would result in a power vacuum that could be filled by enemies, endangering the Afghan people who have endured decades of turmoil and need stability more than anything else.
Khalilzad admitted that reaching a consensus on the best approach to deal with the Taliban is difficult. The past year has seen Afghanistan primarily consumed by a political blame game, with Republicans in the U.S. government blaming former President Joe Biden for the chaos that ensued following the U.S. withdrawal. In 2024, Republicans released a report criticizing Biden for not planning ahead, with Representative Mike McCaul accusing the administration of prioritizing optics over security.
Khalilzad emphasized that the disappointment and anger over the end of the longest war in American history will take time to overcome, and both past and present realities need to be acknowledged. The U.S. must also address the fate of Americans still held captive by the Taliban, as well as the situation of women and girls in the country, where the restriction on education has been seen as a symbol of everything the U.S. stood for and fought for.
Afghan women's rights activist Yalda Royan described the current state of women and girls in Afghanistan as akin to being imprisoned, highlighting the Taliban's oppressive governance.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
