US envoy: Fear of Taliban conquering Kabul are overblown
ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer
May 18, 2021
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1of5FILE - In this April 27, 2021 file photo, Zalmay Khalilzad, special envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times via AP, Pool)T.J. Kirkpatrick/APShow MoreShow Less
2of5FILE - In this May 5, 2020 file photo, graffiti depicts Washington s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, in Kabul, Afghanistan. After 20 years America is ending its “forever” war in Afghanistan. The U.S. and NATO leave behind an Afghanistan that is at least half run directly or indirectly by the Taliban.Rahmat Gul/APShow MoreShow Less
Fear of Taliban conquering Kabul are overblown, says US envoy to Afghanistan 9 hours ago In this May 5, 2020, file photo, graffiti depicts Washington s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Rahmat Gul/AP) WASHINGTON Predictions that the Taliban will quickly overrun Afghan government forces and conquer Kabul once U.S. and coalition forces have fully withdrawn are unduly pessimistic, Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan said Tuesday. “I personally believe that the statements that their forces will disintegrate and the Talibs will take over in short order are mistaken,” Zalmay Khalilzad told the House Foreign Affairs Committee, whose members expressed deep worry that President Joe Biden’s decision to fully withdraw by September will lead to chaos and intensified civil war.
U.S. envoy: Fear of Taliban conquering Kabul are overblown By ROBERT BURNS, , AP National Security Writer,
Published: May 18, 2021, 6:00pm
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2 Photos FILE - In this May 5, 2020 file photo, graffiti depicts Washington s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, in Kabul, Afghanistan. After 20 years America is ending its forever war in Afghanistan. The U.S. and NATO leave behind an Afghanistan that is at least half run directly or indirectly by the Taliban. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File) Photo Gallery
WASHINGTON Predictions that the Taliban will quickly overrun Afghan government forces and conquer Kabul once U.S. and coalition forces have fully withdrawn are unduly pessimistic, Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan said Tuesday.