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KABUL: The US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad says that his country would not let Afghanistan to go back to the 1990s, when the country was burning in the flames of the civil war after the collapse of the Soviet-backed government.
Khalilzad who was summoned to the US Congress to answer the congressmen’s questions regarding the Afghan peace process, said that Washington is closely monitoring the process.
He called the 1990s civil war as irresponsibility of the jihadi leaders, urging that the US would not let it repeat.
In response to a question on Afghan women’s rights in the US-Taliban peace agreement, Khalilzad said that women’s issues would be discussed in the ongoing intra-Afghan negotiations. “Despite the negotiations are Afghan-owned, we will be involved, will be monitoring and will explain our opinions emphatically. I would like to assure you that we will support women’s rights and achievement we have gained in this regard.”
The US veteran diplomat also claimed that Pakistan had helped the United States about the peace process in Afghanistan, adding that Kabul and Islamabad had agreed not to let their territories be used against the other.
He said that the US would decrease the number of troops to 4,000 or 5,000 by this autumn and further drawdown would take place considering the region’s situation and Taliban’s loyalty to their commitments.
“Unfortunately, after the Soviet pullout from Afghanistan, the leaders of the country did not act responsibly and wisely. They started a civil war instead of cooperation and agreement.”
