Latest news with #ZalmayKhalilzad
Memri
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Memri
In Open Letter, Afghan Civil Society Groups Demand International Prosecution Of Former U.S. Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad 'For Complicity In Crimes Against Humanity'
At least 76 civil society groups and human rights organizations fighting against the Afghan Taliban's theocratic rule have published an open letter calling for international prosecution of former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for enabling the Taliban jihadi group to seize power in Afghanistan in 2021. According to a June 18, 2025 Dari-language report on Amu TV, the open letter, the text of which is given below, stated: "Khalilzad is accused of directly interfering in the fall of the former Afghan government, whitewashing the Taliban, and facilitating their return to power. The signatories also accuse him of promoting immunity for perpetrators of crimes."[1] The report continues: "The letter calls for Khalilzad's case to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). It also calls for his political and advisory activities in Afghan affairs to be banned and his affiliated media and financial networks to be investigated."[2] Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan from September 2018-October 2019, and Afghan Taliban deputy leader Mullah Baradar led multiple rounds of talks in Doha, resulting in the 2020 Doha agreement, which allegedly undermined the democratically elected government of President Ashraf Ghani and paved the way for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) to return to power in August 2021.[3] February 29, 2020: U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (left) and Afghan Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar shake hands after signing the 2020 Doha accord. Following is the original English text of the letter: "Open Letter And Initial Complaint Against Zalmay Khalilzad "From: A Collection of Human Rights Institutions, Civil Society Organizations, And Protest Movements in Afghanistan "Subject: Request to Initiate International Prosecution of Zalmay Khalilzad for Direct Role in Collapse of The Afghan Legal System And Whitewashing of The Taliban "We, a group of human rights, women's, justice, and civil society organizations and activists in Afghanistan, are publishing this letter, based on official documents and evidence, as part of the process of legal prosecution and political disclosure of Zalmay Khalilzad's role in the Afghan crisis. "Zalmay Khalilzad, as the U.S. envoy to the Doha talks [leading to the signing of U.S.-Taliban pact in 2020], has played a direct role in the collapse of the legitimate Afghan system, the exclusion of people from the political equation, the facilitation of the Taliban's return, and their subsequent whitewashing. His actions are considered, from a legal and political perspective, to be an example of cooperation with a group that violates human rights and disrupts international peace and security. A copy of the open letter signed by the civil society groups. "Cited Legal Cases: "1. Facilitating the illegal transfer of power to the Taliban without the will of the people and outside the framework of international law and the Afghan constitution "2. Violating the principle of impartiality in diplomatic mediation missions in accordance with the UN Charter and the principles of mediation "3. Indirectly contributing to the implementation of systematic discrimination, gender apartheid, and ethnic cleansing by the Taliban from 2021 onwards "4. Continuing the media and political purification of the Taliban in academic, diplomatic, and media circles, despite extensive reports by international organizations about their crimes "5. Violating the rights of victims by promoting impunity for perpetrators and preventing transparent judicial proceedings "Demands: "Initiation of a formal international investigation into Zalmay Khalilzad's role in facilitating Taliban crimes "Referring his case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for complicity in crimes against humanity "Banning Khalilzad from any decision-making structure regarding the future of Afghanistan "Investigating the role of his financial, advisory, and media networks in purification of the Taliban and disrupting the transitional justice process "We announce that this letter is part of a broader legal process that will be pursued in international organizations by collecting documentation, testimonies, and documents." Afghan civil society groups that signed the open letter.
Egypt Independent
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
The Taliban senses an opening as it pushes for diplomatic recognition in talks with Trump administration
CNN — In the two months since Donald Trump became president, the Taliban has ratcheted up its efforts to ingratiate itself with the Trump administration, appearing to sense an opening to re-establish official ties and a presence in the US, according to people familiar with the American conversations with the group, which is still designated as a terrorist organization by Washington. 'There's a path that's positive and if they walk that path, we walk that path,' said an American official who described the early conversations as 'exploratory' and fluid. 'I wouldn't rule out negative things too,' the official said, emphasizing that normalization of ties wouldn't be expected to happen in the near-term. In talks last month with American officials in Kabul, to secure the release of an American prisoner, Taliban officials again raised the prospect of the US recognizing the group as Afghanistan's official government. The Taliban also put forward a request to open an office in the US to handle issues with the Afghan community, the official and a second person familiar with the discussions said. The office wouldn't necessarily be an embassy and the location could be somewhere outside Washington, the Taliban officials proposed. Establishing formal diplomatic ties with the Taliban would mark a profound shift in US-Afghan relations following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan after the US withdrew its forces from the country in 2021. That came after nearly two decades of fighting which claimed the lives of almost 2,500 American troops. It was in the last year of Trump's first term that he reached an agreement with the Taliban which stipulated the full withdrawal of US troops in 2021, meaning it would take place under President Joe Biden. As the Afghan security forces collapsed and allowed the Taliban to sweep to power that summer, the Biden administration executed the chaotic withdrawal with dramatic scenes of desperate Afghans chasing evacuation planes at Kabul's airport. Almost 200 Afghans and 13 American servicemembers were killed by an ISIS-K suicide bomber at an airport gate. After last month's meeting over the release of American airline mechanic George Glezmann, both the Taliban and Trump's former envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, who flew to Kabul to get him, said that the move was a 'goodwill gesture.' Taliban Officials hold rare meeting with US officials. These stills released by the deputy spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, show Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi with US Diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad as well as Adam Boehler, US Special Envoy for Hostage Response Handout/Dep Spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs The release had been brokered by Qatar, where Taliban officials have been hosted for years. After Glezmann, the Taliban released American Faye Hall less than two weeks later, again without receiving anyone in exchange. In January, the group delayed the release of two other Americans until after Trump took office, to allow him to take credit instead of Joe Biden. In that case, a Taliban member convicted of narco-terrorism in the US was handed back. 'They realize this is a step-by-step normalization,' the second person familiar said. The group is 'eager to please Trump' and understood they needed to offer something to the transactional American president. The moves are not just from the Taliban side. After Glezmann's release, the US removed millions of dollars of bounties on three members of the Haqqani network, which for years carried out deadly attacks on American forces and is still designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US. One of them, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is the Taliban's interior minister. The three kept their US designations as terrorists but bounties across the board are being reviewed, the US official said. 'If all Americans are not released, the leaders will face VERY big bounties, maybe even bigger than [Osama] Bin Laden,' another US official said following Glezmann's release, echoing a similar earlier warning by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The March meeting in Kabul was led on the American side by Adam Boehler, whom Trump has charged with freeing detained Americans around the world. He sat next to Khalilzad, who has had no official role, but led the negotiations with the Taliban during Trump's first term over the US pulling out of Afghanistan. Before Trump took office, the Taliban was asking for not just normalized ties but the release of prisoners being held by the US at Guantanamo Bay. They also wanted billions of dollars unfrozen, said a former US official who engaged with the Taliban. 'I told them that unconditional releases [equals] great relations with Trump. Clear out your holding cells – Trump will be free to work with you,' the former official said while saying they also warned: 'Hold Americans: expect cruise missiles.' The Taliban admires Trump, the former official continued, and the apparent strength he projects. Trump has also been flattering about the group's fighters in the past, calling them 'good fighters' and 'really smart' in a Fox News interview during Biden's presidency. During his own first term, Trump secretly invited the Taliban to Camp David for talks around pulling US troops out of Afghanistan and a peace deal with the Afghan government, right before the anniversary of September 11th. The decision divided his team and Trump scrapped the plans, claiming he canceled the talks after a Taliban attack killed an American soldier. Once it became public there was a huge outcry, including from then-Congressman Mike Waltz who now serves as Trump's national security advisor. Despite having agreed to the US withdrawal himself in early 2020, Trump has repeatedly attacked Biden over the catastrophic way in which it played out and made it a major issue in last year's election campaign. This photo from the US Army shows paratroopers preparing to board a US Air Force C-17 on August 30 at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. US Army Master Sgt. Alexander Burnett/US Central Command Public Affairs Last week Trump again raised the possibility of demanding the Taliban return US military equipment, accusing Biden of abandoning billions of dollars' worth of hardware. The Taliban has so far refused. The Taliban was not mentioned in the annual report just published by the intelligence community on global threat to the United States. But a mutual enemy was: ISIS-Khorasan, which the report called the 'most capable' ISIS branch. Under the terms of the agreement struck in 2020, the Taliban was supposed to prevent another terror group, al Qaeda, from regrouping. But ties remained and in 2022 the Biden administration targeted and killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri with a missile from a drone on his home in Kabul. No country has recognized the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan, but the group is making progress on the diplomatic stage. The Taliban now has ambassadors in both China and the United Arab Emirates as well as a long-held political office in Doha. The regime has also settled into diplomatic posts around the world and sent out diplomats to staff them. In Washington, the embassy of Afghanistan remains closed but its re-opening under the Taliban government would no doubt be a crowning achievement. 'You need to be forthcoming and take a risk,' the Taliban was told in the March meeting in Kabul, according to the person familiar with it. 'Do this, it will likely open up the door for better relationship.'
Al Jazeera
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US woman released by Taliban in Afghanistan: Former US envoy
An American woman has been freed by the Taliban in Afghanistan after she, two Britons and their Afghan translator were detained earlier this year, Washington's former envoy to Kabul, Zalmay Khalilzad, has said. She is the fourth US citizen released by the Taliban since January, as part of agreements brokered by Qatar. 'American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home,' Khalilzad, who has been part of a US delegation working on Taliban captive releases, wrote on X on release comes just days after George Glezmann, an American detained in Afghanistan for more than two years, was released by the Taliban earlier this month, and arrived in the United States, where he reunited with his wife and was greeted by a welcoming party that included his former cellmate. The Taliban called Glezmann's release a 'goodwill gesture' reflecting its willingness to engage with the United States 'on the basis of mutual respect and interests'. The Taliban has previously described the release of US detainees as part of its global 'normalisation' effort. The group remains an international pariah since its lightning takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021: No country has officially recognised the Taliban government, although several countries continue to operate diplomatic facilities in the country. Afghanistan's takeover came as the Joe Biden administration oversaw a withdrawal outlined by the first administration of US President Donald Trump. The Republican leader negotiated with the Taliban in 2020 to end the war in Afghanistan, and he agreed to a 14-month deadline to withdraw US troops and allied forces. The agreement was controversial for leaving out the Western-backed Afghan government, which was toppled amid the US's chaotic exit from the country in 2021. The Trump administration is yet to articulate a clear policy for how it will approach dealings with the Taliban government during the president's second term. Trump has been a regular critic of how the Biden administration oversaw the withdrawal from Afghanistan. A bomb attack at Kabul's airport in the final days of the chaotic withdrawal killed at least 170 Afghan civilians seeking to flee the country, as well as 13 US soldiers.
Shafaq News
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Afghan Taliban releases 4th American citizen this year
Shafaq News/ An American woman detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been released, former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad revealed on Saturday. Faye Hall is the fourth US citizen freed by the Taliban this year through mediation led by Qatar. Khalilzad, involved in negotiations with a US delegation, disclosed her release on X, stating, 'American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home.' American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home. Thank you, #Qatar, for your ongoing and steadfast partnership. #USA #Afghanistan — Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) March 29, 2025 Hall had been detained earlier this year alongside two British nationals and their Afghan translator. The Taliban has not provided details regarding the circumstances of their detention or release. Her release follows that of George Glezmann, another American held for over two years, whom the Taliban released earlier this month. Taliban officials described that action as a 'goodwill gesture,' framing it as part of ongoing engagement with Washington 'on the basis of mutual respect and interests.'
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Taliban foreign minister meets U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs
KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban administration's foreign minister met U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler on Thursday and discussed the release of prisoners, an Afghan foreign ministry statement said. "During this meeting, discussions were held on Afghanistan-U.S. bilateral relations, the release of prisoners, and the provision of consular services to Afghans in the United States," the statement said, adding the meeting was also attended by former U.S. special representative to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
