Tarz Press: Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, responded to accusations that he and the U.S. were responsible for the fall of Afghanistan’s republic, asserting that the republic collapsed due to the weakness of its leaders.
On Tuesday night, October 29, Khalilzad posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, stating that the leaders of Afghanistan’s former republic blame “him and the U.S.” for the collapse of their government. He added, “The Republic of Afghanistan collapsed because, with few exceptions, its leaders were bad in governing and bad in negotiating.”
Khalilzad also referred to former President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, saying that Ghani and his team “destroyed Afghanistan’s golden opportunity.” Addressing them directly, he said, “Instead of blaming others, they should look in the mirror and they will see the real culprits.”
Afghan republic leaders, particularly former President Ghani, had accused Khalilzad of playing a significant role in transferring power to the Taliban. However, Khalilzad emphasized in his post that the primary reason for the collapse was the weakness of the republic’s leadership.