Former US envoy Khalilzad in Kabul, attends Taliban-Saudi oil deal signing

Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Afghanistan, visited Kabul and attended the signing of an oil and gas agreement between the Taliban and a Saudi company, despite State Department disclaimers that he acted in a personal capacity. The visit provides the Taliban with a symbolic appearance of American validation, potentially complicating US policy toward the unrecognized regime. The extent of Khalilzad's role and the specifics of the Saudi deal remain unclear.