US: Biden administration is set to shut down Afghanistan's embassy & consulates: Reports

After nearly six months of the Chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Biden administration will shut down the Afghan embassy in Washington and the consulate missions in Los Angeles and New York. According to a report by Pajhwok Afghan News Agency, the US government has informed Afghanistan’s diplomats in the country about their recent decision.

Also, Al Arabiya, an international Arabic television news channel, reported that the Afghan diplomats have received a memo from the US government stating that their diplomatic immunity will also be stripped of. A State Department official told Al Arabiya English that there had been “no change in the status of the Afghan mission or its personnel.” However, a diplomatic source revealed, “They said there would be a shutdown of the embassy [in Washington] and the consulate missions in LA and New York.”

According to prior media reports, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West stated that the United States is not yet ready to reopen its embassy in Afghanistan, but continues to monitor the security situation in the country while maintaining diplomatic ties with the Taliban. "At the moment, we are not prepared to reopen our embassy. I think we are evaluating the security situation carefully," news agency Sputnik quoted  West as saying. "We don’t have a calendar, we were thinking of a specific time when we were considering full recognition of the Taliban. What I would say is that my bosses have told me to continue diplomacy with the Taliban in order to protect American interests," he added.

US withdrew its forces and left the war-torn country at its own fate

It is pertinent to mention here that the Taliban took over the country in August last year after ousting the democratically elected government. At that time, the entire world witnessed how the US withdrew its forces and left the war-torn country at its own fate. After taking over the leadership of the country, the Taliban made tall claims suggesting that they have changed completely as compared to the earlier regime. Irrespective of their claims, the country has witnessed horrifying blasts with hundreds of people killed at one time. 

Image: AP/Twitter/@USEmbassyKabul