Zalmay Khalilzad
President-elect Joe Biden leaves after speaking at an event at The Queen theater, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Trump's presidency not just a blip in US foreign policy

By Deb Riechmann And Matthew Lee Jan. 16, 2021 01:08 AM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2020 file photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader sign a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar. Washington's annual terrorism report says Pakistan is doing too little to counter terrorist groups particularly those taking aim at enemy India as well as the dreaded Haqqani network operating in Afghanistan. Islamabad bristled at the criticism saying it has been relentless in its assistance to Washington as it be negotiated for more than a year with the Taliban for a peace deal signed on Feb. 29(AP Photo/Hussein Sayed,file)
US envoy forges ahead with troubled Taliban peace deal

By Kathy Gannon Jul. 04, 2020 06:17 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 9, 2020 file photo, Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, attends Ashraf Ghani's inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to a statement released Thursday, July 2, 2020, by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Khalilzad told Pakistani officials that Afghanistan’s Taliban and Kabul’s political leaders were close to starting negotiations to decide the face of a post-war Afghanistan, a crucial next step in a U.S. deal signed with the Taliban in February. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
US peace envoy looks to start of talks to end Afghan war

By Kathy Gannon Jul. 02, 2020 09:03 AM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 19, 2019, file photo, a man waves an Afghan national flag during Independence Day celebrations in Kabul, Afghanistan. Washington’s watchdog warns, Thursday, June 25, 2020, that “systemic” corruption within the Afghan government is weakening its bargaining position in future peace negotiations with the Taliban, even as the insurgent group's political spokesman says the group was ready with its agenda for talks. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
Pompeo calls Taliban leader amid Russian bounty scandal

By Kathy Gannon Jun. 30, 2020 02:33 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2020 file photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader shake hands after signing a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar. An Afghan official said Thursday, May 14, 2020, that a suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan targeted a military compound but was detonated before it reached the compound killing several civilians and wounding tens of others. The Taliban took responsibility for the bombing calling it retaliation for statements Tuesday by President Ashraf Ghani blaming Taliban for a brutal attack on a maternity hospital that killed tens of people, an attack that the Taliban were quick to condemn. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed, File)
Official says suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan kills 5

By Tameem Akhgar And Kathy Gannon May. 14, 2020 06:47 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 9, 2020, file photo, Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad attends the inauguration ceremony for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Khalilzad said May 7 that he called for the release of Mark R. Frerichs, ab American citizen captured by Taliban-linked militants in discussions with Taliban leadership as continued violence threatens to scuttle a peace deal to end America’s longest-running war. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
Afghanistan envoy calls for American contractor release

By James Laporta May. 07, 2020 10:57 PM EDT

Mark Frerichs, a contractor from Illinois, poses in Iraq in this undated photo obtained from Twitter that he would include with his resume when job hunting. Frerichs was abducted in Afghanistan in January 2020. Early efforts to locate him have been shrouded in mystery and his disappearance has been the subject of minimal public discussion by the U.S. government. The Associated Press has learned that in the days following Frerichs’ capture, Navy commandos raided a village and detained suspected members of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network while the U.S. intelligence community tried to track the cellphones of Frerich and his captors. (Twitter via AP)
SEALs tried to locate US citizen taken by Afghan militants

By James Laporta And Eric Tucker Apr. 30, 2020 12:07 AM EDT

Afghan special forces stand guard near the site of a suicide bomber attack on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. A suicide bomber on Wednesday targeted a base belonging to Afghan special forces on the southern outskirts of the capital, Kabul, officials said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Afghan officials: Suicide bomber kills 3 civilians in Kabul

By Rahim Faiez Apr. 29, 2020 03:57 AM EDT

A man rides his motorbike near the site of a bomb explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April 27, 2020. Kabul police said a sticky bomb attached to a vehicle detonated in the capital but caused no casualties. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
UN report notes drop in number of Afghan civilians killed

By Rahim Faiez Apr. 27, 2020 04:44 AM EDT

Muslim men read the Quran during the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, April 24, 2020. Millions of Muslims have started the holiest month on the Islamic calendar under the coronavirus lockdown or strict social restrictions, deepening their anxiety over the disease. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
US calls on Afghans to set aside disputes, focus on virus

By Kathy Gannon Apr. 26, 2020 05:20 AM EDT