Khalilzad Says US Will Back Republic If Taliban Rejects Peace US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on May 7 said that the United States will stand with Afghans who support the Republic if the Taliban do not choose peace. He made the remarks after concluding his trip to the region in which he visited Tashkent, Doha Kabul and Dushanbe. He said that he attended a meeting with their allies in Berlin. Echoing a joint statement released after the meeting in Berlin on Friday, Khalilzad said in a tweet that “if the Taliban do not choose peace, a future based on consensus and compromise, then we wi...