Special envoy khalilzad

Sep 02, 3:44 PM EDT Newsletter Signup BusinessTechnologyWorldNationalMedia & CultureOpinionSportsLuxury World By AFP News 09/02/19 AT 3:25 PM A massive explosion rocked central Kabul late Monday in a Taliban attack near an international complex while the US special envoy leading talks with the insurgents visited the Afghan capital.The blast took place near Green Village, a large compound that houses aid agencies and international organisations, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.It came while Afghanistan's main TV station Tolo News aired an interview with the US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who was discussing a potential deal with the Islamist extremist Taliban that would see the US withdraw forces from five bases across Afghanistan.Gunfire could be heard in the aftermath along with a secondary explosion when a nearby petrol station caught fire, sending plumes of smoke into the night sky.There was no immediate word on casualties.Green Village is separate from the … [Read more...] about Taliban attack rocks Kabul as US envoy visits Afghan capital

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has named veteran diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad as a special adviser on seeking reconciliation in war-battered Afghanistan. Pompeo made the announcement on Tuesday as Khalilzad joined him on a trip to Pakistan and India. Pompeo was speaking to reporters aboard his plane. An Afghan native, Khalilzad was tapped by President George W. Bush to be his ambassador to Afghanistan after the overthrow of the Taliban following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He then served as ambassador to Iraq and the United Nations. Khalilzad is the fourth such special envoy named in the past month, following Brian Hook, who will handle Iran, James Jeffrey, who will run Syria policy, and Stephen Biegun as special representative for North Korea. … [Read more...] about US appoints veteran envoy for Afghan peace effort

By Asif ShahzadISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan assured visiting U.S. special representative Zalmay Khalilzad on Tuesday that it would back a negotiated settlement with the Taliban to end the long war in Afghanistan, after President Donald Trump personally asked for Islamabad's help.gi Khalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran U.S. diplomat who served as George W. Bush's ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations, was named by the Trump administration three months ago as a special envoy to negotiate peace in Afghanistan.His visit to Pakistan came a day after Pakistani officials confirmed that Trump had written to Prime Minister Imran Khan seeking assistance in moving peace talks forward. Khan said Pakistan would do whatever possible to help Washington negotiate with the Taliban.Khalilzad arrived on Tuesday in Islamabad and called on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a foreign office statement said. It said the envoy reiterated Trump's desire to seek Pakistan's cooperation for … [Read more...] about Pakistan assures U.S. envoy of support for Afghan peace talks

Pakistan facilitated the negotiations this week between the United States and Taliban to end the more than 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan declared via Twitter on Tuesday. Referring to Monday’s talks between U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), PM Khan wrote, “Pakistan has helped in the dialogue between Taliban and the US in Abu Dhabi. Let us pray that this leads to peace and ends almost three decades of suffering of the brave Afghan people. Pakistan will be doing everything within its power to further the peace process.”Pentagon officials have long accused Pakistan of willingly serving as a sanctuary for the Afghan Taliban and its Haqqani Network allies. The Trump administration has suspended hundreds of millions in funding for Pakistan over Islamabad’s refusal to take decisive action against the two groups, known to orchestrate attacks against U.S. troops … [Read more...] about Pakistan Takes Credit for Latest Round of U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Afghanistan reconciliation envoy insisted Wednesday that the discussions of a negotiated political settlement to end the war “will happen soon” despite the Taliban threatening to cancel the discussions. Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, however, cautioned that if the Taliban continues with its terror campaign, the United States military will keep backing the Afghan security forces, Khaama Press (KP) noted.Khalilzad told reporters in Kabul on Wednesday: If they [Taliban] do not choose to come to the table, if they choose to continue fighting, the United States will stand with the Afghan people and the Afghan government and support them.  We in the coalition are proud of our support to Afghan security forces.  Afghan security forces and military pressure are important in this phase. His comments came in response to the Taliban threatening to pull the plug on the peace talks. … [Read more...] about U.S. Envoy on Stalled Afghanistan Peace Negotiations: ‘If Taliban Want to Talk, We Can Talk’