Kabul, September 18, 2026 — Hamdullah Mohib, former National Security Adviser of Afghanistan, has accused Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, of playing a role in sidelining the former Afghan government from the peace negotiations with the Taliban, describing his actions as “a great betrayal.”

The book, titled Shadows Over Kabul: An Insider’s Account of the Fall of the Afghan Republic, was co-authored with journalist Tom Hussain and is based on interviews with Mohib conducted between 2021 and 2024, as well as his experiences in the former Afghan government. The book was published in English on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

The Book’s Main Claims:

According to Mohib, after Khalilzad began his mission, the Taliban concluded that they could negotiate directly with Washington and sideline the Afghan government from the main negotiating process.

He writes that after arriving in Kabul, Khalilzad did not meet with him or Salam Rahimi, the official responsible for the peace process in the former government, to hear the Afghan government’s position on the negotiations.

Mohib also claims that Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives during a visit to Pakistan but, after returning to Kabul, did not brief former President Ashraf Ghani on the details of those talks. According to Mohib, Afghan government officials later learned about Khalilzad’s meeting with the Taliban in Pakistan.

According to his account, officials in the former government at the time did not clearly know whether Khalilzad’s actions reflected official U.S. policy or were the result of his own initiative. Their efforts to clarify the matter also failed to produce a clear answer.

Mohib says that during a visit to Washington, he warned about the consequences of Khalilzad’s approach for the Afghan government. However, he received contradictory responses from U.S. officials, and his scheduled meetings with officials at the U.S. Department of State were also canceled.

An Important Note

The information presented in this report reflects Hamdullah Mohib’s account and allegations in his new book regarding Zalmay Khalilzad’s role in the negotiations and the fall of the Afghan Republic.

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