Zalmai Khalilzad resigned

The State Department has announced that Zalmai Khalilzad, the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, has resigned.

“I thank him for his decades of service to the American people,” the secretary of state said in a statement announcing Khalilzad’s resignation last night.

Meanwhile, members of both houses of the US Congress have blamed Zalmai Khalilzad for the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and suggested that his performance in the Afghan peace process be examined.

According to a statement from the State Department, Thomas West, formerly Khalilzad’s deputy, is set to replace him.

Thomas West has previously served on the National Security Team and the Security Council.