Ex US envoy Khalilzad defends Doha Agreement but acknowledges failure to bring democracy

The United States' former envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, strongly defended the Doha Agreement, of which he was the chief negotiator between the Taliban and the Allied forces. Speaking at an interview with CBS, he also indirectly called out President Joe Biden for a calendar-based approach rather than the planned "conditions-based" extraction of troops from the war-torn nation. "The decision was made to put conditions-based approach and follow up calendar basis," he said on Sunday.

Khalilzad also called on the US government for not taking the real situation into account at the time of withdrawal. He said that the withdrawal had not turned out as he had expected and the government had room to make choices despite the differences with the Taliban, which were similar to the Trump administration, Sputnik reported. However, Khalilzad acknowledged that the US presence in Afghanistan has been able to curb the violence triggered by Al-Qaeda and the "threat...is not what it used to be."

'Talibs are a reality of Afghanistan': Khalilzad

Talking about the persistent challenges in Afghanistan, the ex-envoy admitted that 20 years of Allied troops in the war-torn nation "did not bring them democracy."

Highlighting the "struggle" the Afghan people are facing he said, "On the issue of building a democratic Afghanistan, I think that (the US) did not succeed. The struggle goes on. The Talibs are a reality of Afghanistan. We did not defeat them."

Khalilzad, who hails from Afghanistan, has often been accused of being misled by Taliban leaders as the latter made advances in the country. However, during the interview, he refuted all such accusations and mentioned that the interim Taliban government has a "different vision" for the country but it is expected to be "more moderate."

Khalilzad steps down as US Envoy

Khalilzad also pointed out that former Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani's fleeing the country had an immense contribution to the Taliban's influence in Kabul. Speaking to CBS, he revealed that on August 14 he had struck a deal between Ghani and the Taliban of a two-week power-sharing arrangement, however, that fell apart as Ghani fled to Uzbekistan in a helicopter from the presidential palace a day before Taliban annexed Kabul on August 15.

The former US envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, stepped down from his position on October 18. He was released from his services after Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged his resignation letter on October 19. Deputy Special Representative Tom West, who earlier served in Biden's security team while the latter was Vice President, will now replace Khalilzad to lead diplomatic efforts, advise the Secretary and Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian affairs and coordinate closely with US Embassy in Kabul in Doha on America's interests in Afghanistan, the US State Department had said in a statement.

(Image: AP)