Zalmay Khalilzad steps down as US envoy to Afghanistan, replaced by Thomas West

Less than two months after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad stepped down as Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation. He was replaced by Thomas West.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation who brokered the peace deal between the United States and the Taliban, has stepped down and replaced by veteran American diplomat Thomas West, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said.

“As Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad steps down from his role. I extend my gratitude for his decades of service to the American people,” Blinken said.