Securing Baghdad is vital. It's the national capital, of course. And 7 million Iraqis live there. It is the scene of a great deal of violence in Iraq. Should this government be dismissed as having failed to deal with it, Iraq will be in a much more difficult situation.
Khalilzad emphasizes the importance of securing Baghdad and warns of the consequences if the government is seen as failing.
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I regard making myself available to Congress as one of my most significant and important responsibilities.
While we are all eager for our sons and daughters in uniform to return home, it is also important that we do not needlessly or recklessly bargain away the rights and freedoms that the Afghan people have gained at such a huge cost in…
the agreement you negotiated between the Taliban and the Afghan government, quote, "fell apart when President Ghani surprisingly fled the country, which caused the now leaderless Afghan military and police to instantly disintegrate."
I think that would be prudent, and the sooner we conclude that agreement, the better.