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Kabul – The US State Department officially disassociated itself with the recent international campaigns of former envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
Khalilzad is operating independently, as the State Department made it clear to journalist Tajuden Soroush and Afghanistan International after a series of high-profile visits to Kabul in 2025, including a recent sit-down with Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The government officials declared that he is not a government employee, which is a stark contrast between the official policy and the Personal Diplomatic Role of Zalmay Khalilzad in the region.
The Mystery of the Kabul Trips
The questions concerning the influence of Khalilzad started to accumulate in early 2025 when he visited the Afghan capital several times without prior announcements.
It was a question to many observers whether he was carrying messages over to Washington or whether he was opening a new channel of communications.
The email from the State Department was, however, clear that its activities do not relate to the current administration.
A Career in Transition
Zalmay Khalilzad was once the mastermind behind the Doha Agreement and the face of American involvement in Afghanistan.
His ongoing interactions with the leadership in Kabul are today being termed by the State Department as personal. This distinction is crucial to the people of Afghanistan and the international community.
It implies that he might continue to hold meetings with senior officials such as Muttaqi, but the personal diplomatic role of Zalmay Khalilzad is that of an ordinary citizen trying to find his way in a complex political environment, not that of a United States government representative.
Also See: Zalmay Khalilzad’s Kabul Engagement: Diplomacy or Status Quo?
