by Dramelin 7:00 AM 0 comments

His choice for ambassador to Moscow was his uncle Azizullah, a mild-mannered man well into his 70s who had been living in the United States.
Already, several family members and relatives were lurking in the shadows of the presidential palace, chief among them his uncle Mr.
Kochai, who had returned to Afghanistan from California.
Mr.
Kochai quickly became seen as an informal special envoy of Mr.
Ghani, traveling to countries in the Persian Gulf to attend forums with the Taliban.
At the same time, Russia has been cold to the Kabul government, apparently seeing Mr.
Ghani as being too close to the United States at Russia?s expense.
Russian officials justify their contacts with the Taliban because they say the militants are fighting the Islamic State, which Russia fears particularly because it includes Central Asian elements that may threaten Russian territory.