Former top US diplomat reveals mistakes made after 9/11 attacks
Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad describes misgivings about the US handling of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad describes misgivings about the US handling of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.


![Members of the Taliban attend a rally to mark five years in power, outside the former U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 15, 2026. [Mohammad Yunus Yawar/Reuters]](https://aljazeeranews-mggx1uo47w.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-15T113231Z_2045240706_RC2TYMA9JXPO_RTRMADP_3_AFGHANISTAN-TALIBAN-ANNIVERSARY-1787268670.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)




![An Afghan burqa-clad woman walks past a mural commemorating the fifth anniversary marking the Taliban's return to power, in Afghanistan's Ghazni province on August 13, 2026. [AFP]](https://aljazeeranews-mggx1uo47w.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/afp_6a7f9c08405d-1786747912.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)

Pakistan and Afghanistan have been locked in an on-off cycle of cross-border strikes, leaving their ties in tatters.
Afghan defence ministry says it carried out ‘air strikes’ in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Analysts warn military pressure alone cannot contain a threat from armed groups that has reached Pakistan’s cities.
The meeting is expected to focus on the deportation of Afghan nationals who do not have a right to stay in Europe.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The strikes are the latest threat to the fragile ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan targets TTP fighters across Afghan border, as the Taliban says 11 children among those killed in air attacks.

Authorities suppressed a protest in western Afghanistan over the detention of women for dress code violations.
At least 10 children among the dead as a packed truck carrying families returning from Pakistan flips on major highway.
Afghanistan women’s refugee team will tour United Kingdom in June and be guests at July’s World Cup final at Lord’s.