Zalmay Khalilzad Holds Informal Meeting with Taliban Foreign Minister
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, has held an informal meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban administration. The meeting took place outside official channels, and no specific details about its time or location have been disclosed.
According to a statement by the Taliban administration, the two discussed ways to improve and expand bilateral relations between Afghanistan and the United States. This is not the first time former American political figures have engaged in unofficial talks with members of the Taliban administration—encounters that have consistently raised questions and yielded no tangible outcomes for the Afghan people.
Although official U.S. agencies have not expressed formal support for such engagements, the continued occurrence of these meetings has sparked concern among Afghan citizens. Many believe that engaging in dialogue with an administration unrecognized by the international community and accused of widespread human rights violations amounts to legitimizing the Taliban without considering the will of the Afghan people.
Khalilzad, who played a key role in the signing of the Doha Agreement, has faced repeated criticism over the past years for his stances toward the Taliban. His ongoing contacts with Taliban officials now raise further questions about the actual stance of the U.S. government—a government that claims to champion human rights while simultaneously maintaining ties with the Taliban.
