Zalmay Khalilzad to be Appointed as US Special Envoy to Afghanistan
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to appoint Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Kabul, as his special envoy on Afghanistan, media reported on August 22.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to appoint Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Kabul, as his special envoy on Afghanistan, media reported on August 22.
Khalilzad, 67, is considered well-suited to the task of persuading the insurgents to talk, Reuters quotes a former senior U.S. official as saying.
Pompeo’s decision to tap Khalilzad shows the administration is “serious about getting a peace process going,” the official told Reuters.
Khalilzad was born in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif and has served in a variety of U.S. government posts.
This comes as America is pushing to start talks with Taliban and sent its representatives to Doha for initial negotiations with the group last month.
Khalilzad served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, and he helped draft the country’s constitution.
