A stable Afghanistan post 9/11 is in US interests says former US diplomat

Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US diplomat who served as the American ambassador to Afghanistan in the period shortly after the 9/11 attacks, warned that the United States has a vital stake in preventing Afghanistan from turning into a base for groups hostile to Washington. He framed this objective as a "principal interest" for US policy toward the country.

Khalilzad argued that preserving stability in Afghanistan should be driven by concerns about safe havens for anti-US actors. His remarks tie traditional counterterrorism priorities to the question of how Afghanistan is governed and whether it could serve as a staging ground for operations against American interests.

In addition to counterterrorism, Khalilzad said the US should pay attention to broader geopolitical competition, specifically pointing to the need to counter the influence of China and Russia in Afghanistan. That emphasis suggests he views Kabul as an arena where great-power rivalry intersects with security risks.

Taken together, his statements underscore a policy perspective that treats Afghanistan as important both for preventing the re-emergence of anti-US groups and for limiting strategic gains by other major powers in the region.