Pakistani Diplomat Reveals CIA Chief Was in Kabul Alongside ISI Chief During Taliban Takeover

Kokcha News Agency – Four years after the collapse of the Afghan Republic, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, former Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan, has disclosed details about the controversial visit of Faiz Hameed, then head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to Kabul in September 2021. Khan revealed that during that time, not only was the ISI chief in Kabul, but the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was also present.

In a podcast, Khan explained that Hameed’s visit was not supposed to be made public, but it became a media sensation when he was unexpectedly spotted in the lobby of the Serena Hotel in Kabul by international journalists.

Khan added that during those days, not only the ISI chief but also many intelligence officials from other countries were present in Kabul. He stated that the international community was deeply concerned about the rapidly unfolding situation in Afghanistan, which prompted the presence of high-level intelligence figures, including the CIA Director.

The former ambassador noted that it remains unclear how information about Hameed’s presence in Kabul was leaked to the media. He recalled that at the time, Panjshir had not yet fallen, and the future of Afghanistan was shrouded in uncertainty: “Would the country descend into instability and civil war, or would the Taliban form an inclusive government?”

Khan emphasized that Hameed’s visit was intended to be entirely confidential. However, when the ISI chief entered the Serena Hotel and, as usual, ordered coffee in the lobby, a female journalist approached him and asked, “What will happen?” Hameed reportedly replied, “Everything will be fine.”

According to Khan, the media coverage of Hameed’s visit sparked a wave of speculation and widespread accusations against Pakistan, with many alleging that Islamabad was interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and playing a double game.

Two weeks after the Taliban entered Kabul, on September 4, 2021, images of General Faiz Hameed in the Serena Hotel were widely circulated on social media. The photos showed him smiling and holding a cup of coffee, which angered many Afghans at a time when the country was in turmoil.

Faiz Hameed, who served as ISI chief during Imran Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan, also faced backlash in Pakistan for his visit to Kabul. Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, later remarked that Pakistan was paying the price for the “three-star general’s cup of tea in Kabul.”

Last year, the Pakistani military arrested Faiz Hameed in connection with the “Top City” housing project scandal. The military stated that Hameed was detained and that his court-martial proceedings had begun.