Ghani Accuses Khalilzad of Handing Government to Warlords

Kokcha News Agency: In a recent statement, former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani criticized Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, for allegedly facilitating the transfer of power to warlords after the fall of the first Taliban regime.

Ghani argued that if his plans, proposed during his tenure as finance minister, had been implemented, the country’s current situation would have been different.

Ghani claimed that Khalilzad’s strategy was to bring warlords into the government, effectively handing them control. He questioned, “What can you expect in such a situation?” Ghani also highlighted the rampant corruption within his own government, particularly within the Ministry of Interior, which he described as unparalleled in the region.

The former president further criticized the formation of the interim government after the Bonn Conference, stating that Afghanistan had three clear paths after the transitional period: establishing a service-oriented developmental state, creating a mafia-like government enriching a few individuals, or moving from one crisis to another.

Ghani lamented that the country ended up on the second and third paths due to the rejection of his proposals and the failure to implement fundamental reforms.