
WASHINGTON: The US negotiator on Afghanistan acknowledged that president Ashraf Ghani’s abrupt exit scuttled a deal wherein the Taliban would contain off coming into Kabul and negotiate a political transition.
In his first interview for the rationale that crumple of the 20-year Western-backed government, Zalmay Khalilzad, who brokered a 2020 contend with the Taliban to withdraw US troops, instructed the Monetary Instances that the insurgents had agreed to cease outside the capital for 2 weeks and form a future government.
“Even on the damage, we had an agreement with the Talibs for (them) now now not to enter Kabul,” he instructed the newspaper in the interview printed Wednesday.
But Ghani fled on August 15 and the Taliban, in a previously organized meeting that day with General Frank McKenzie, chief of Central Suppose, requested if US troops might per chance perhaps be particular that security for Kabul as government authority crumbled.
“And then you definately understand what came about, we weren’t going to steal accountability,” Khalilzad acknowledged.
President Joe Biden had insisted that US troops would handiest work to evacuate Individuals and Afghan allies and now now not lengthen The US’s longest battle.
Requested about Khalilzad’s remarks, Assert Division spokesman Ned Designate acknowledged it was as soon as now now not an possibility to cease “a second longer” in Kabul.
“There was as soon as never a clever, there was as soon as never a viable, there was as soon as never possibility for the United States to cease,” Designate instructed newshounds.
“We were left with a essentially obvious and stark impact that if the United States sought to lengthen our presence on the bottom, our servicemembers… would all as soon as more be targets of Taliban violence now now not to disclose terrorist attacks by teams admire ISIS.”
Ghani, who sought security in the United Arab Emirates, has apologized for the ability the government ended but acknowledged he left on the advice of palace security to retain away from bloody boulevard combating.
The Taliban had been stressful the resignation of Ghani as segment of any transitional government. Somehow, they named a caretaker government with out a non-Taliban nor girls folk.
Secretary of Assert Antony Blinken, testifying sooner than Congress this week, furthermore acknowledged he spoke to Ghani on August 14 and that the Afghan leader agreed both to work on a transitional government and, if the Taliban reneged, to “fight to the death.”
Blinken acknowledged Ghani gave no warning he would go the next day.
The Afghan-born Khalilzad, a senior figure in veteran president George W. Bush’s administration who was as soon as tapped by Donald Trump to negotiate the withdrawal, has come under fierce criticism in Washington after the Taliban takeover.
Khalilzad, who acknowledged he was as soon as a great deal surprised Biden saved him, didn’t steal accountability for the ability the battle ended, asserting it had been as a lot as Afghans to reach a peace deal.