US envoy for Afghanistan Khalilzad steps down from his post following chaotic evacuation

The United States envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad has stepped down from his position, just two months after the Taliban's swift annexation of Kabul. The decision was announced by the US State Department on Monday, adding that Khalilzad will be replaced by his Deputy Special Representative Tom West. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement asserted that the West will work closely with the US embassy, which is now based in Doha, on US interests in Afghanistan.

It is to mention that West has earlier served on Biden's national security when the latter was the Vice President in former US president Barack Obama's regime. He is now expected to lead diplomatic efforts, advise the Secretary and Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian affairs and coordinate closely with the US Embassy in Kabul, as per the official statement.

According to CNN, Khalilzad's decision to step down came after he wrote a letter to US State Secretary Antony Blinken seeking release from government service. Blinken expressed his gratitude to the special envoy for his "decades of service to the American people." It is to be noted that Khalilzad had decided to step down in May after Biden announced a complete troop withdrawal by the US from Afghanistan. His stepping down also comes amid the State Department Inspector General's announcement of opening a series of investigations into the US' "hasty" withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Khalilzad led the Doha Agreements

The Afghanistan-born diplomatic veteran Zalmay Khalilzad is well-known for his contributions during the talks with the Taliban in Qatar that resulted in the Doha Agreement under the Donald Trump administration. As known, the agreement was executed by Biden leading to a chaotic evacuation of US forces and American citizens and a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. In interviews and in his resignation letter described to The AP, Khalilzad lamented that the withdrawal process was far from as planned and was conducted in haste. As per New York Times, Khalilzad was a part of the ex-President George W. Bush administration that planned to eliminate the Taliban in 2002.

"Political arrangement between the Afghan Government and the Taliban did not go forward as envisaged. The reasons for this are too complex and I will share my thoughts in the coming days and weeks, after leaving the government service," Khalilzad stated in a letter to Blinken as per BBC.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)