The US envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said that, with the fall of Kabul approaching, he strongly pressured the Taliban leaders not to storm the capital and turn the confrontation into a devastating war.
He added, in an interview with Foreign Policy, that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the acting First Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan, met General McKenzie, who assured him that Washington's mission is to complete the withdrawal of US forces.
Zalmay said that Mullah Prader was trying to get the Americans to ask him to take responsibility for securing Kabul for the remaining two weeks before the end of the US withdrawal, but McKenzie did not ask for that.
He added that Barader and his team had agreed to withdraw their forces - which had entered Kabul - to the outskirts of the capital, and to start negotiations to form a new government.
However, the Taliban, according to Zalmay, insisted that they have the advantage in the prospective government, and that President Ashraf Ghani be replaced, and everyone, including Ghani, agreed to start negotiations.
He explained that two or three hours after Ghani's approval was announced, reports began that he had disappeared and left the country.