RASC News Agency: In a pointed response to recent criticism, former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad refuted claims by former Afghanistani officials that the United States or his involvement led to the republic’s collapse. Khalilzad asserted that Afghanistan’s downfall stemmed from its leaders’ failures in governance, warfare, and negotiation.
Many officials of the previous Afghanistani government hold Khalilzad, the former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan peace, accountable for the regime’s collapse and the Taliban’s return to power. Some Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Congress have similarly argued that the hasty withdrawal of American forces facilitated the Taliban’s resurgence.
Recently, Ashraf Ghani’s former deputy lambasted Khalilzad, calling him a “deceiver,” “liar,” and “fraud.” On his social media account on X, he stated, “Khalilzad and the U.S. Embassy were on a mission to erode public confidence in the republic by sponsoring anti-republic propaganda.” He added, “All of us, including the president, sought to expose Khalilzad’s lies and deception during negotiations with the West, unaware that appointing a liar and introducing a brazen fraudster was part of a broader conspiracy.”
Khalilzad’s Tuesday post on X seemed a direct response to these sharp criticisms by Amrullah Saleh. Without naming any individual, the former diplomat wrote, “Republican leaders and their aides blame America and me for their loss of power.” According to Khalilzad, “Afghanistan’s republic collapsed because, aside from a few exceptions, its leaders failed in governance, negotiation, and warfare.” He added that the leaders of the previous administration “squandered Afghanistan’s golden opportunity.”
The former U.S. envoy urged Afghanistan’s previous leaders to “look in the mirror to find the true culprits rather than assigning blame to others.”
