Current Afghanistan situation ‘good’ for US, ‘difficult’ for the country, says former envoy

The former US envoy to the country’s reconciliation process said the current Taliban rulers should do more to engage other Afghan partners to gain “legitimacy at home”.

Former US reconciliation envoy to Afghanistan speaking to Kurdistan 24, Nov. 16, 2022. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Former US reconciliation envoy to Afghanistan speaking to Kurdistan 24, Nov. 16, 2022. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The current situation in Afghanistan is “good” for the US while it is difficult for the Afghan people as they suffer from economic distress, the former Washington envoy for reconciliation in Kabul told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday.

Zalmay Khalilzad’s remarks came during an interview with Kurdistan 24 on the sidelines of the Middle East Peace and Security Forum 2022 held at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province.

The current situation in Afghanistan is “of course good for the United States. It is out of a war,” Khalilzad said, adding that ordinary Afghans are suffering “economic deprivation” and international isolation as well as inaccessibility to basic services.

The former US envoy to the country’s reconciliation process said the current Taliban rulers should do more to engage other Afghan partners to gain “legitimacy at home”.

Khalilzad was closely engaged in the peace efforts between the Taliban forces and the former Afghan government, which collapsed in mid-August 2021 after the withdrawal of US and international forces.

The withdrawal of international funds from the country has exacerbated the economic conditions of the southeast Asian country.

“I will do what I can to be of help”, Khalilzad said.

The former envoy also served as the US ambassador to Baghdad in 2005.

The third annual conference officially began on Tuesday on the AUK campus, where parallel workshops were held. 

On the second day of the event, numerous topics related to Middle Eastern politics, economics as well as climate change challenges were discussed along with the West's position in the region's dynamics.

A number of top Iraqi and Kurdistan Region officials are set to take part in the last day of the conference, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, President Latif Rasheed as well as Speaker Mohamed Al-Halboosi. 

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