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Khalilzad responds to McCaul’s draft resolution, says Doha agreement claim is ‘flatly untrue’
Khalilzad said the draft resolution states he “baselessly asserted the Taliban would honor their commitments and respect basic human rights.”
Former US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad said in a post on X early Thursday that a claim in House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul’s draft resolution on him having said he “baselessly asserted the Taliban (IEA) would honor commitments” was untrue.
Khalilzad said the draft resolution states he “baselessly asserted the Taliban would honor their commitments and respect basic human rights.”
“This statement is flatly untrue. I never made such a statement. I am surprised that such a claim would be made without documentation – ‘baselessly,’ so to speak,” he said.
On Wednesday, House Republicans voted to censure President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, capping their work in Washington with legislation that carried no legal weight but drove a political point ahead of the November elections.
The resolution condemned Biden, Harris and other officials in the administration for “decision-making and execution failures throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan” and blamed them for the deaths of 13 U.S. service members who were killed by a suicide bomber at Kabul’s airport during the final days of the evacuation.
With regards to the Doha agreement, the resolution stated: “Whereas, in 2021, under the Biden-Harris administration, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, baselessly asserted the Taliban would honor their commitments and respect basic human rights.”
Khalilzad responded by saying in his post on X: “The Doha Agreement that I helped negotiate under President Trump did not deal with human rights.
“It dealt with the terms for the safe military withdrawal including no attacks on US forces, and not allowing terrorists, individuals or groups, including al-Qaida, to use Afghanistan soil to threaten the security of the United States and our allies.
“The Taliban (IEA) had agreed that a new government for Afghanistan – and presumably its human right policies – would subsequently and separately be negotiated between them, the (former) Afghan government, and other Afghans.
“Some such negotiations took place, but no agreements were arrived at before the completion of our withdrawal,” Khalilzad said.
He went on to state that Biden decided not to condition the US withdrawal on a political agreement among Afghans, fearing a return to Islamic Emirate attacks against US forces if Intra-Afghan negotiations dragged on.
“Aside from adding four months to the withdrawal timeline, the Biden Administration did not make any other changes in the Doha Agreement,” he said.
“In addition to not having made any statement about the Taliban (IEA) honoring commitments on human rights, in my appearances before various congressional committees, whenever asked whether I trusted the Taliban (IEA) to honor their commitments in regard to military matters and terrorism, my reply invariably was that we were talking about international relations, an arena in which no one can be trusted, and least of all the Taliban (IEA).
“I emphasized that it was not about trust. The agreement as negotiated was condition-based, not trust-based, and delivering on our commitments in the agreement was linked to the Taliban’s (IEA) delivery on its commitments, which would need to be continuously evaluated and verified.
“I did report that the Taliban (IEA) were – up to the time of my appearances – honoring their commitment not to attack US forces and needed to do more to meet their obligation on terrorism.
“Indeed, several elements of the agreement remain unfulfilled by us because the Taliban (IEA) have not fulfilled some of their commitments,” he said.
Khalilzad concluded by saying: “Undeniably, the final phase of the withdrawal was a disaster.
“The main reasons for this were a.) poor intelligence (we did not foresee that the Afghan government would simply collapse before we had even departed or that its military would essentially dissolve and b.) our own inadequate military planning and execution in light of those unexpected developments.
“Our soldiers performed heroically under the circumstances, which had devolved into chaos in and around Kabul Airport,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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Around 2.3 million tourists visited Afghanistan’s recreational areas during Eid: Ghufran
Khubaib Ghufran, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture, announced on Tuesday that over Eid al-Fitr holidays approximately 2.3 million domestic and foreign tourists visited the country’s recreational areas and natural attractions.
Ghufran said this level of tourist presence shows a significant increase compared to previous years and indicates growth and strengthening of the tourism sector.
Meanwhile, officials from the ministry’s departments, while emphasizing public cooperation in preserving the environment, maintaining cleanliness in public places, and protecting tourist attractions, stated that through extensive cooperation and efforts by security institutions, tourists were able to travel to different parts of the country with full confidence during the Eid holidays.
According to Ghufran, the Ministry of Information and Culture is working to develop and strengthen the tourism sector across the country and to provide more facilities and conveniences for tourists.
However, some tourists who traveled to various provinces praised the order, security, and hospitality of the people. They said that all provinces of Afghanistan have always been beautiful, but this year, with the current level of security and tourism facilities, their trips have become even more memorable.
Islamic Emirate releases American prisoner Dennis Coyle
UK announces additional £3 million in aid for vulnerable people in Afghanistan
Around 2.3 million tourists visited Afghanistan’s recreational areas during Eid: Ghufran
Berlin does not recognize IEA envoy as charge d’affaires of Afghan embassy
US allies in Middle East ‘edging closer’ to joining conflict
Pakistani military jet downed in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad, pilot captured alive
Afghan Air Force conducts airstrikes in Islamabad, other cities
Prominent Muslim scholar issues fatwa calling for Afghanistan-Pakistan ceasefire
Afghan air force strikes key Pakistani military installations in retaliatory operation
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Saar: Using US prisoners as political pressure
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