Khalilzad blames ISIS for Kabul attacks, urges Afghan, Taliban to work together

• He blamed the two attacks in Kabul on Islamic State.

Following the two attacks in Kabul earlier this week, United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad has blamed Islamic State and urged the Afghan government and Taliban to work together.

In a tweet from his official Twitter handle, Khalilzad blamed the IS and said that it has demonstrated a pattern for favoring these types of heinous attacks against civilians and is a threat to the Afghan people and to the world.

He further said the group oppose any Taliban peace agreement and seeks to trigger an Iraq-style sectarian war in Afghanistan.

The representative said Afghans must come together to crush this menace and pursue a historic peace opportunity, 'rather than falling into the ISIS trap'. "No more excuses. Afghans, and the world, deserve better," he wrote.

Rather than falling into the ISIS trap and delay peace or create obstacles, Afghans must come together to crush this menace and pursue a historic peace opportunity. No more excuses. Afghans, and the world, deserve better.

— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) May 14, 2020