US top envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad resigned from his position on Monday….reports Asian Lite News
Calling the mission of former US peace envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad a “failure”, politicians and civilians criticised him for his “destructive” role in Afghanistan.
US top envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad resigned from his position on Monday.
“As Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad steps down from his role, I extend my gratitude for his decades of service to the American people,” US Secretary of the State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
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Following the resignation of the envoy, former intelligence chief Rahmatullah Nabil took to Twitter and accused him of “dragging” Afghanistan into an “irreversible” catastrophe.
“Finally, this con man was expelled from the scene after dragging Afghanistan into an irreversible catastrophe!”, tweeted the former chief.
Former Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta lashed out at the former envoy saying that he completed his destructive role in a shameful process.
“Khalilzad completed his destructive role in a shameful process. In this process, he had the support of some naive politicians and chauvinist circles,” he tweeted.
According to Tolo News, the residents of the country have also criticised the outgoing envoy and blamed him for the crisis in Afghanistan.
“Khalilzad has betrayed the people of Afghanistan. He took Afghanistan into the crisis,” Tolo News quoted a resident Naqib as saying.
“Khalilzad’s mission was a failure. For the people of Afghanistan, he is evil and the people of Afghanistan are experiencing the current bad situation which resulted from Khalilzad’s activities,” the news channel quoted another citizen Mohammad Naqib as saying.
Earlier, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan urged the United States to probe its former top envoy to the country over his suspected dealings with the Taliban.
The developments came almost two months after the US withdrew from Afghanistan in a ‘chaotic and deadly’ evacuation process. Khalilzad was the person who led talks with the Taliban in Qatar that resulted in the Doha agreement with the outfit to withdraw US troops by May 2021.
Menawhile, Khalilzad said Afghans are facing great challenges in the war-torn country.
“US forces are out, and the war is over for the United States, but this is not the final chapter. The Afghan people face great challenges ahead, including on the economy and security,” Khalilzad said in a tweet.
“Today, I step down from my position as the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation. It has been an honour to serve the American people again,” Khalilzad added.
Meanwhile, Khalilzad also welcomed Thomas West for the position.
“I welcome Tom West to the role of Special Representative for Afghanistan as the United States engages the international community and Afghan leaders on the way forward,” Khalilzad said.
On Tuesday, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan has also urged the United States to probe its former top envoy to the country over his suspected dealings with the Taliban.
Khalilzad reportedly admitted in a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the political arrangement between the Taliban and the government in Kabul “did not go forward as envisaged”. (ANI)