Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad says the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power has, in terms of terrorism, been better for US interests than it was in the past.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Khalilzad said the United States made decisions after 2001 that, in his view, should have been handled differently. He said talks with the Taliban in the early months of the war might have helped prevent a prolonged conflict.
He also defended the withdrawal of US forces, saying America had spent about 20 years in Afghanistan and that the war had no clear endpoint, while global security priorities had changed.
Khalilzad said the Taliban had returned to power after the US withdrawal, but argued that, surprisingly, the current situation regarding terrorism in Afghanistan was favourable to US interests.
Khalilzad is no longer a US government representative. The US State Department has said he is not a government employee and is acting in a private capacity.
