Despite Doha deal mistrust between US and IEA still exists: Khalilzad

Zalmay Khalilzad, former US special envoy for Afghanistan, says that despite the signing of the February 2020 Doha agreement between the US and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), there is still an “atmosphere of mistrust” between the two sides.

In an interview with an American media outlet, Khalilzad said that because of America’s distrust, they still need to monitor the IEA’s performance, despite their assurances.

“Well, as I have mentioned before, the main problem right now is that we don’t trust them [IEA]. So the important thing is that what they say should not be trusted. Because of American disbelief in what the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) say and do, especially in relation to terrorism, they need to monitor the group’s work.”

In response to the possibility of the IE not adhering to the principles of women’s rights and girls education, Khalilzad said that there could be a difference of opinion among the leaders of the Islamic Emirate on this matter.

“I think there is disagreement among the leaders of the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) regarding the education of girls; we cannot say that all the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) are of the same opinion. Currently, in three to four provinces of Afghanistan, school gates are open to girls above the sixth grade,” Khalilzad added.

His comments come just days after he stepped down as special envoy after leading the US team through the peace process with the IEA and the former government.