Ashraf Ghani’s abrupt exit scuttled deal on power-sharing, says Zalmay Khalilzad

Published September 16, 2021
This file photo shows Zalmay Khalilzad. ─ Reuters/File
This file photo shows Zalmay Khalilzad. ─ Reuters/File

WASHINGTON: Former president Ashraf Ghani’s abrupt exit last month scuttled a deal under which the Taliban would hold off entering Kabul and negotiate a political transition, the US negotiator on Afghanistan said on Wednesday.

In his first interview since the collapse of the 20-year Western-backed government, Zalmay Khalilzad, who brokered a deal with the Taliban last year to withdraw US troops, told the Financial Times that the insurgents had agreed to stay outside the capital for two weeks and shape a future government.

“Even at the end, we had an agreement with the Talibs for (them) not to enter Kabul,” he told the newspaper in the interview.

But Ghani fled on Aug 15 and the Taliban, in a previously arranged meeting that day with Gen Frank McKenzie, chief of Central Command, asked if US troops would ensure security for Kabul as government authority crumbled.

“And then you know what happened, we weren’t going to take responsibility,” Khalilzad said.

President Joe Biden had insisted that US troops would only work to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies and not extend America’s longest war. Asked about Khalilzad’s remarks, State Department spokesman Ned Price said it was not an option to stay “a moment longer” in Kabul.

“There was never a realistic, there was never a viable, there was never a practical option for the United States to stay,” Price told reporters.

“We were left with a very clear and stark impression that if the United States sought to prolong our presence on the ground, our service members... would again be targets of Taliban violence, not to mention terrorist attacks by groups like IS (the militant Islamic State group).”

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

Wheat worries
25 Apr, 2025

Wheat worries

PUNJAB’S farmers are enraged. They are not getting what they call a fair price for their wheat harvest this year...
Ending rabies
25 Apr, 2025

Ending rabies

RABIES remains one of Pakistan’s most deadly, yet neglected public health crises. Across the country, hundreds die...
Pahalgam attack
Updated 24 Apr, 2025

Pahalgam attack

Pakistan must proceed with caution and prepare a calm yet firm response to India’s allegations, and threats.
New IMF projection
24 Apr, 2025

New IMF projection

THE downgrading of the IMF’s growth forecast for Pakistan by 40bps to 2.6pc is perturbing, especially considering...
Stranded goods
24 Apr, 2025

Stranded goods

AS controversy over the new canals continues to rage, traders across the country have begun raising the alarm over...