Khalilzad defends Afghan peace chances amid rising violence

US senators voice fears of a Taliban takeover in Kabul after US and NATO forces leave later this year.

The United States’ special envoy for talks with the Taliban, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, has said he believes peace is still possible in Afghanistan as US has begun to withdraw its remaining troops and violence continues to escalate in the country. Khalilzad testified to Congress on Tuesday, the same day the State Department advised US citizens “wishing to depart Afghanistan should leave as soon as possible” and ordered non-essential US embassy workers to leave the country, saying “travel to all areas of Afghanistan is unsafe.” The envoy said keeping US forces in Afghanistan did not make sense, as the conflict could not be solved by continued fighting.