Michael Hughes: In 2003, then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad, with the full backing of the CIA, rendered Afghanistan’s Loya Jirga to a farce by strong-arming aside King Zahir Shah and anointing as president State Department darling Hamid Karzai. Now Zalmay, as special U.S. envoy, is once again guilty of foreign election interference
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 2, 2019 The United States is ready to withdraw a large number of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban guarantees to start direct negotiations with Kabul on ending the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan, U.S. media reported on August 1. The Washington Post and CNN cited unnamed sources
By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan August 1, 2019 KABUL — The U.S. peace envoy seeking to negotiate an end to the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan said peace negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban will determine whether the presidential election slated for September 28 is held. In an interview with RFE/RL in the Afghan capital
Ayaz Gul VOA News July 31, 2019 ISLAMABAD – The Taliban says it is hopeful an agreement will be reached with the United States to end the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan when the two adversaries meet later this week in Qatar for a crucial round of peace negotiations. The two sides have worked hard for
Press TV July 27, 2019 US special envoy to “peace talks” with Afghan Taliban militants says they have vowed not to let future Afghanistan be turned into terrorists’ hotbed, an ostensibly awkward pledge from a group whose terror attacks ceaselessly kill both civilians and government troops across the militant-infested country. “The world needs to be sure
Michael Hughes: U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has shamelessly suggested that if he can help broker a ceasefire and ensure women are involved in intra-Afghan peace talks U.S. involvement in Afghanistan should be seen as a net benefit. This is quite audacious coming from a man who about 17 years ago single-handedly destroyed any chances for peace
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 12, 2019 The U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, says the United States is not “cutting and running” from the war-torn country as it negotiates a peace agreement with the Taliban. Khalilzad’s prerecorded video statement, shown at a conference held at Georgetown University in Washington on July 11, came
By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan July 9, 2019 KABUL — The Taliban and a delegation representing Afghan society have agreed at talks in Qatar upon a road map for a future political settlement in what is seen as a major step toward ending Afghanistan’s nearly 18-year war. However, there are major discrepancies between different versions
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 7, 2019 Dozens of Afghan delegates, including political figures, women, and other stakeholders, are attending an Intra-Afghan Dialogue Conference in Qatar involving negotiators from the Taliban. Just hours before the gathering began in Doha on July 7, the militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Afghan city