US peace envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad will not be going to the Afghan capital, Kabul, while in the region on his latest peace mission because of the dangers presented by the coronavirus, according the US State Department.
Instead, Khalilzad will hold a video conference with Afghan leaders,
Afghanistan’s dilapidated health system is grappling with COVID-19, with the number of infections thought to far outnumber the official tally of over 31,000 cases, including 733 deaths.
Khalilzad, who was in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, on Tuesday, will be traveling to Pakistan later in the day or early Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
The coronavirus infection rate in Pakistan has been climbing steadily, with 209,336 cases recorded as of Tuesday and more than 4,300 deaths.
