Khalilzad Reveals US Mistakes in Afghanistan and Iraq After 9/11

DID Press: Zalmay Khalilzad, the former senior U.S. diplomat involved in Afghanistan’s peace process, has described several decisions made by Washington after the September 11 attacks — particularly regarding Afghanistan and Iraq — as mistakes, 25 years after the attacks.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Khalilzad said the atmosphere of fear and anger following the September 11 attacks led to decisions being made with greater speed and pressure. Regarding Afghanistan, he said the United States should have negotiated with the Taliban and included the group in the country’s political process.

“One thought that has emerged is that we should have negotiated with the Taliban or included the Taliban in the political process in Afghanistan,” Khalilzad said. “It would have been good if that had happened.”

Khalilzad also criticized the information and analysis used at the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He said the information and assessments surrounding Iraq were problematic, adding: “Without 9/11, I don’t think we will attack Iraq.”

According to Khalilzad, the policy of containing Saddam Hussein’s government eventually turned into a large-scale military intervention and the overthrow of his regime.

The former U.S. diplomat, however, defended the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, saying the war could have continued indefinitely after 20 years and that global priorities had changed.

He also assessed the current situation in Afghanistan, saying he believes the Taliban have, contrary to expectations, performed well from the perspective of U.S. counterterrorism interests.

The United States withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in 2021, after which the government backed by Washington collapsed and the Taliban returned to power in Kabul.