Islamic Emirate Spokesperson: ISIS Has Been Suppressed in Afghanistan

Speaking to TOLOnews, the spokesperson further said that ISIS activities in the region have no connection to Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, has once again stated that ISIS has been suppressed in Afghanistan and emphasized that the group has no power in the country.

Speaking to TOLOnews, the spokesperson further said that ISIS activities in the region have no connection to Afghanistan.

Mujahid added: “ISIS is not a threat in Afghanistan and has no strength. It has been significantly crushed and is no longer considered a danger from Afghanistan. How its effects extend in the region is not our concern, but we are confident that ISIS is not a threat in Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a special session today (Monday) to discuss the threats posed by terrorist groups, particularly ISIS.

It has been reported that in this session, the UN Secretary-General’s six-month report on ISIS threats, especially in Afghanistan, was reviewed.

According to the UNSC report, at Algeria’s request, discussions on extending the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) will also be held behind closed doors.

“In our region, ISIS centers exist in Balochistan, Pakistan. These centers pose a threat to Afghanistan and the region, and Afghanistan needs support from different countries to counter this threat,” said Fazl Rahman Oria, a political analyst.

“The extension of UNAMA’s operations in Afghanistan is certain because, in recent years—especially in the past three years—UNAMA has played a crucial role in assisting Afghanistan,” said Salim Paigir, another political analyst.

The UNAMA mission is part of today’s UNSC meeting as its one-year mandate is set to expire in March 2025.

Islamic Emirate Spokesperson: ISIS Has Been Suppressed in Afghanistan
read more

Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires Discusses Diplomatic Relations in Kabul

The Norwegian diplomat praised the Islamic Emirate’s efforts in combating narcotics, the ministry said.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate, met with Per Albert Ilsaas, the Norwegian chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan, on Monday to discuss political, economic, and humanitarian issues.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, key topics of discussion included positive engagement with countries, the expansion of diplomatic relations, the fight against narcotics, and the security situation. Muttaqi emphasized the opportunities emerging in Afghanistan and stated that the Islamic Emirate welcomes positive engagement with the international community based on mutual respect.

The Norwegian diplomat praised the Islamic Emirate’s efforts in combating narcotics, the ministry said.

Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided further details on the meeting: “At the end of the session, the need for positive engagement was discussed, and both sides expressed hope for strengthening diplomatic relations.”

The Islamic Emirate deems the consular services of some Afghan diplomatic missions, including the one in Norway, as invalid. And Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that due to restrictions on girls’ education in Afghanistan, it has reduced its engagement with the interim government and does not recognize the Islamic Emirate’s representative.

Some political analysts believe that the Islamic Emirate should focus on expanding diplomatic ties and reopening Afghanistan’s embassy in Norway during such meetings.

“Efforts should be made to rebuild political and economic relations and open a path to improve ties between the Islamic Emirate and Norway,” Mohammad Edris Zazai, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.

“If diplomatic relations and engagement with Norway take place, other European countries may also be encouraged to establish ties with Afghanistan,” said Aziz Maarej, a former diplomat.

In a separate meeting with Din Mohammad Hanif, the acting minister of economy, the Norwegian diplomat described Afghanistan’s economic management over the past three years—despite ongoing economic sanctions, frozen assets, and halted development aid—as a significant achievement of the Islamic Emirate, according to the ministry. He also assured continued humanitarian assistance from Norway to the Afghan people, the ministry said.

Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy, stated: “During the meeting, the Norwegian ambassador reassured continued humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The Minister of Economy, while appreciating Norway’s humanitarian aid to vulnerable individuals and areas, called for greater focus from the international community and aid organizations on expanding development assistance.”

Over the past three years, several countries have expanded their diplomatic relations with the Islamic Emirate, but no country has yet officially recognized it.

Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires Discusses Diplomatic Relations in Kabul
read more

U.S. Veterans Call For Resumption Of Afghan Refugee Resettlement

Volant Media UK Limited

10 Feb 2025

A coalition of U.S. veterans has urged the Biden administration to resume the relocation process for eligible Afghan refugees, calling for an exemption from former President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending refugee admissions.

In a letter addressed to the U.S. Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and Defense, the coalition highlighted the urgent need to relocate Afghan allies, many of whom worked alongside U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan.

According to Reuters, Shawn VanDiver, head of the AfghanEvac coalition, wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning that failing to relocate Afghan allies could undermine trust in the United States and weaken local support for U.S. forces in future conflicts.

In the letter, VanDiver argued that not exempting Afghan refugees from Trump’s order would send a dangerous message to adversaries such as ISIS, suggesting that the United States abandons its allies in times of need.

A copy of the letter was also sent to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a veteran of the Afghanistan war, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

VanDiver urged senior members of Trump’s cabinet to allow Afghan refugees to be resettled, despite the broader suspension of refugee admissions.

On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order halting the U.S. refugee admissions programme, effectively freezing the resettlement of thousands of displaced individuals, including Afghans awaiting relocation.

According to the AfghanEvac coalition, approximately 3,000 Afghan refugees remain stranded in camps in Qatar and Albania, while an estimated 50,000 others are stuck in Pakistan and other countries, awaiting approval to enter the United States.

Despite the ongoing suspension, Trump granted an exemption last Friday allowing a group of white South African refugees to be relocated to the United States, a decision that has sparked debate over the prioritisation of refugee resettlement policies.

 

U.S. Veterans Call For Resumption Of Afghan Refugee Resettlement
read more

They helped US order airstrikes against Taliban. Now Trump’s moves have left those Afghans in limbo

By  LLAZAR SEMINIFARNOUSH AMIRI and MUNIR AHMED

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — They helped the U.S. military order airstrikes against Taliban and Islamic State fighters and worked as drivers and translators during America’s longest war. They were set to start new lives in the United States.

Then President Donald Trump issued executive orders that put an end to programs used to help Afghans get to safety in America. Now those same Afghans, who underwent a yearslong background check, find themselves in a state of limbo.

“I was shocked. I am still in shock because I have already waited four years for this process, to get out of this hell and to get to a safe place and live in peace and have a new beginning,” said Roshangar, one of the Afghans whose life was upended by Trump’s action. Roshangar requested that The Associated Press only use his first name because he was afraid of Taliban reprisals.

He spoke in an interview from Afghanistan where he, his wife and son live in hiding, fearing punishment or even execution by the Taliban for his more than a decade-long partnership with American forces.

Roshangar served as a legal adviser to the Afghan Air Force, helping U.S. officials review and eventually approve airstrike packages that were used against the Taliban and the Islamic State group from 2007 until the fall of Kabul, the Afghan capital, in 2021.

Related “This was an unexpected move from Mr. Trump and everything went wrong and against us and leave us in severe danger under the Taliban regime,” he said.

His family’s experience is just one aspect of the fallout from Trump’s orders, many of which were implemented without broad consultation with experts in the areas affected.

“It’s an absolute stain on our national honor that we’ve pulled the rug out from under people who have patiently been awaiting relocation and those here in the US who have recently arrived,” said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. “This is an imminently solvable issue and our national security demands we fix it.”

During the U.S. evacuation from Kabul in August 2021, American military planes airlifted tens of thousands of Afghans from the main airport. But many more Afghans did not make it onto the planes. Since then, the U.S. has had various ways to help Afghans emigrate to the U.S. depending on what their role was in helping the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan. Those path have been halted at this point.

It is the latest in a series of setbacks for the group of American allies who, despite strong backing from Republican and Democratic lawmakers along with veterans groups, continue to face hurdles in relocating and rebuilding their lives after the abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Many are now stranded in Albania, Pakistan and Qatar where they were awaiting transfer to the U.S. Others are in hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Afghans who eventually make it to the U.S. have to undergo an extensive process that usually involves a referral from someone they worked with, background checks, a medical screening and an interview with U.S. officials.

Rashengar had his interview last August and was set to finish the final part of the process — a medical exam — this month when Trump announced he was halting all refugee resettlement.

One of the Americans he worked with, Lt. Col. Steve Loertscher, referred him to the refugee program in October 2021.

Loertscher describes Rashengar as a casualty of the Biden administration not prioritizing applicants like him who were at higher risk of retribution by the Taliban.

But he believes Rashengar could be exempt from the executive order, which states that the State Department could consider individual applicants on a “case-by-case” basis.

“Eventually, I’m hopeful that he’ll be able to become a refugee and come to the United States,” Loertscher said.

Many veterans of the conflict have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with find refuge in the U.S. Many were prepared for setbacks but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

Hashmatullah Alam had a flight scheduled to take him, his wife and six children to the U.S. when Trump’s order went into effect, just a day after the Republican president took office. The 40-year-old and his family had arrived in Albania in December to be processed and granted special immigrant visas before leaving for the U.S.

He is among the at least 15,000 Afghans who were already cleared for travel before the pause took effect, according to AfghanEvac.

Alam, who remains hopeful that the pause will be lifted, told the AP that he risked the lives of his family to assist the U.S. mission in Afghanistan during the war, landing him on the Taliban watchlist. He had hoped after three years to be repaid for that sacrifice with a fresh start in America where his children can grow up and receive an education.

“Also we help our families back home,” Alam said. “They are living in Afghanistan, our mothers, our fathers, and brothers.”

In Pakistan, Khalid, who worked alongside the U.S. Air Force, had been waiting by the phone to confirm his flight to America when the Afghan students he teaches notified him about Trump’s order.

“Let me tell you that my students cried after hearing that Trump has suspended the refugee program for us,” he said.

After arriving in Islamabad in March 2023, Khalid, who also asked to be identified by first name only, completed the security clearance, medical tests, and interviews over the next year. But as he waited to be approved to travel, he ran out of money to support his wife and children and began to teach children from other Afghan families who had come to Pakistan as part of the visa program.

He was reluctant to discuss how he helped America’s effort in Afghanistan, but said his contribution was “so important that if I go back, the Taliban will kill me.”

“We appeal to President Donald Trump to reverse his decision because we have lost whatever we had in Afghanistan, and he should know that we are waiting here for a bright future in America,” he said. “He should evacuate us from here and take us to America, we were promised that we would be taken to America, and please honor that promise.”

Amiri reported from Washington and Munir from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Amiri covers Congress for The Associated Press, with a focus on foreign policy and congressional investigations. She previously covered politics for AP as a statehouse reporter based in Columbus, Ohio.

 

They helped US order airstrikes against Taliban. Now Trump’s moves have left those Afghans in limbo
read more

Pakistan’s Military pushes for US involvement in Afghanistan war, Says US media

The American media outlet Drop Site News has reported, citing sources, that the U.S. military is considering launching a large-scale military operation against ISIS-affiliated groups in Afghanistan. Discussions regarding the scope and strategy of this operation are currently underway.

According to the report, Pakistan’s military hopes this action will encourage the United States to reestablish itself as a counterterrorism ally and strategic partner in the region. This comes amid Pakistan’s ongoing political crisis, where the military is trying to persuade the Tehreek-e-Insaf party to distance itself from former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Pakistan’s military believes that resolving internal political conflicts will help it gain necessary support for intensifying military operations in Afghanistan. Sources suggest that the proposed operation could include both airstrikes and large-scale ground assaults, increasing tensions in the region.

To secure Washington’s support, the Pakistani military has emphasized the growing ISIS threat in Afghanistan. General Shamshad Mirza, a senior Pakistani official, recently warned in a British think tank event that uncontrolled terrorist groups in Afghanistan could lead to larger attacks beyond the region.

Pakistan launched the “Azm-e-Istehkam” (Resolve for Stability) operation this year to combat terrorism. This initiative includes both military reinforcements and diplomatic efforts to limit terrorist operations through regional cooperation, signaling a broader counterterrorism framework.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister stated in July that the country plans to conduct airstrikes inside Afghanistan as part of its new campaign against militants. He emphasized that these strikes would target groups responsible for attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians, increasing cross-border tensions with the Taliban-led government.

Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have significantly deteriorated due to recent security incidents. In December last year, Pakistan’s military carried out airstrikes in Barmal district, Paktika province, killing 46 people. While the Taliban claimed the victims were civilians, Pakistan insisted the strikes targeted Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants.

This situation has fueled concerns that Afghanistan could once again become a safe haven for global terrorist groups. The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) recently reported that the UN and regional countries are increasingly worried about Afghanistan becoming a terrorist hub, with some groups allegedly aiming to expand threats globally.

While the Taliban denies ISIS’s presence in Afghanistan, dismissing reports as exaggerated, the UN Security Council’s monitoring team stated in January that ISIS-K has strengthened its financial and logistical capabilities, making it the biggest security threat to Europe. The Taliban, however, insists it has effectively neutralized ISIS within Afghanistan.

This ongoing conflict highlights the growing geopolitical tensions in South Asia and the risk of renewed Western military involvement in the region. The coming months could see increased military confrontations, diplomatic standoffs, and shifting alliances, as regional powers assess their security strategies in response to emerging threats.

Pakistan’s Military pushes for US involvement in Afghanistan war, Says US media
read more

Defense Ministry: US Should Return Helicopters to Afghanistan

In a statement, the ministry called on the US not to obstruct the transfer of these helicopters to Afghanistan and to hand them over to the Afghan people.

The Ministry of Defense has deemed the transfer of seven Black Hawk helicopters from Uzbekistan to the United States unacceptable.

In a statement, the ministry called on the US not to obstruct the transfer of these helicopters to Afghanistan and to hand them over to the Afghan people.

Enayatullah Khwarazmi, the ministry’s spokesperson, said: “Neighboring countries should also respect the rights of Afghans. We urge the US not to create obstacles in returning all these helicopters to Afghanistan but to deliver them to the Afghans.”

Previously, Uzbek media had reported that seven Black Hawk helicopters, which were transferred to Uzbekistan following the fall of the previous Afghan government, were handed over to the US which was disclosed in a ceremony at the Uzbek embassy in Washington.

After the collapse of the previous government, 46 Afghan military aircraft and helicopters were moved to Uzbekistan. The Ministry of Defense spokesperson also stated that before the Islamic Emirate regained power, there were 164 military aircraft in Afghanistan, of which 81 remain.

“Uzbekistan should have reached an agreement with Kabul, but it did not and directly handed over Afghanistan’s assets to the United States,” said Hadi Quraishi, a military analyst.

“The Afghan government should start negotiations with the US instead of pressuring Uzbekistan. Additionally, it should organize and manage extensive negotiations with Uzbekistan so that, as a result, the military equipment that belongs to Afghanistan and remains in Uzbekistan is returned to the Afghans,” said Fazl Rahman Oria, a political analyst.

Meanwhile, the US president has consistently described leaving military equipment in Afghanistan as an unwise decision. However, the spokesperson for the caretaker government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asserted that the leftover US military equipment in Afghanistan belongs to the Islamic Emirate.

Defense Ministry: US Should Return Helicopters to Afghanistan
read more

Mohammad Bashir SoltaniIran Envoy: Coming Year Will Mark Stronger Ties with Afghanistan

Tolo News
8 Feb 2025
Additionally, Bikdeli praised Afghanistan’s ban on opium cultivation and drug trafficking.
Alireza Bikdeli, acting Iran’s ambassador in Kabul, stated in an interview with TOLOnews that Iran, following its neighborhood policy, is working to enhance relations with Afghanistan in various sectors.

Bikdeli emphasized that expanding economic ties with Afghanistan is a priority for Tehran. According to available figures, Iran has conducted over $2 billion in trade with Afghanistan in the past nine months. He also noted that Iran has taken significant steps to facilitate trade and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The Iranian envoy further stated: “Despite the determination of high-ranking officials from both countries to strengthen relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Afghanistan within the framework of neighborhood diplomacy, the coming year, God willing, will be more successful in advancing mutual interests.”

Regarding the long-standing issue of water rights between Afghanistan and Iran, Bikdeli asserted that recent discussions between the two sides have led to a resolution.

He elaborated: “During the recent visit of the Foreign Minister, Afghan officials reaffirmed their commitment to the treaty and expressed their willingness to address water-related challenges in Sistan and Baluchestan with an Islamic and fraternal approach.”

Additionally, Bikdeli praised Afghanistan’s ban on opium cultivation and drug trafficking, affirming Iran’s readiness to collaborate in countering drug smuggling and terrorism.

“The fight against terrorism and extremism is a key area of cooperation between our countries. At present, both nations are working together in combating terrorism,” he said.

Bikdeli’s remarks on expanding ties with Afghanistan come amid ongoing tensions over Iran’s water rights from Afghanistan and the periodic deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran, which have occasionally strained relations between the two neighbors.

Mohammad Bashir SoltaniIran Envoy: Coming Year Will Mark Stronger Ties with Afghanistan
read more

Iran Stresses Cooperation with Afghanistan in Counter-Narcotics

He added that Iran, based on its neighborhood policy, is working to expand its relations with Afghanistan in various sectors.

Alireza Bikdeli, the acting ambassador of Iran in Kabul, commemorated the 46th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.

During the event, Bikdeli stated that Iran, within the framework of the UN Working Group on Counter-Narcotics, seeks to facilitate cooperation with Afghanistan and other countries.

He added that Iran, based on its neighborhood policy, is working to expand its relations with Afghanistan in various sectors.

The acting ambassador of Iran in Kabul said: “Now that the anti-narcotics working group has been established under the supervision of the UN following the Doha 3 meeting, the Islamic Republic of Iran will strive to create the necessary mechanisms to combat this social and regional issue in collaboration with other regional countries.”

Meanwhile, Mohammad Naeem, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also described the Islamic Emirate’s relations with regional countries as positive, adding that there has been good coordination between Afghanistan and Iran in economic and judicial sectors.

Mohammad Naeem stated that the Islamic Emirate seeks good relations with neighboring countries, including Iran.

“The Islamic Emirate desires to expand relations with neighboring countries, including Iran, and emphasizes the continuation and deepening of these relations in political, cultural, security, and economic fields,” he said.

Although Iran has maintained good relations with Afghanistan’s interim government over the past three years, border clashes, the issue of Afghan refugees’ deportation from Iran, and the water rights dispute remain major challenges in the two countries’ relations, sometimes causing tensions between Kabul and Tehran.

Iran Stresses Cooperation with Afghanistan in Counter-Narcotics
read more

U.S. aid freeze hits secret girls’ schools, post-flood repair and much more

National Public Radio

The halt to USAID projects will likely impact secret schools for girls across Afghanistan, which could close as soon as the funds from the U.S. agency go dry. Above: A teenage girl wearing a face mask, head scarf and long black robe at a tutoring center in Kabul, established by a women’s rights activist to circumvent a Taliban ban on girls attending secondary school.

Diaa Hadid/NPR

Amid the flurry of executive actions that President Trump issued from the White House, one in particular has caused chaos in poorer parts of the world: the order to suspend foreign aid. From rebuilding police stations in flood-ravaged parts of Pakistan to running secret schools for Afghan women, the money that powered that work has dried up.

That order was followed by the State Department effectively freezing USAID-funded projects around the world through a “stop-work” order while a review takes place to see if they align with the new Trump administration’s agenda. Emergency food aid was exempted as was aid to Israel and Egypt. Days later, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, also widened the exception to include “life-saving humanitarian assistance.” Rubio defined that as “medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance.”

But aid groups say the criteria and process for obtaining the waivers has not been made clear.

In Pakistan, a notice sent to government officials seen by NPR ordered work to stop on multiple USAID projects. They ranged from the reconstruction of 10 police stations damaged by unprecedented flooding in the summer of 2022 to merit and needs-based scholarships funded through the Pakistan Higher Education Commission.

Asked to comment on the scope of programs being affected in Pakistan and elsewhere, the U.S. State Department referred NPR to the original statement and waiver. Among the key points: any waiver granted for life-saving activities is “temporary in nature” and the goal is to “rooting out waste … blocking woke programs … and exposing activities that run contrary to our national interests.” These goals cannot be met, say the memos, “if programs are on ‘auto-pilot.’ ”

Uncertainty in Afghanistan

And the pain was felt nearly immediately in Afghanistan, where humanitarian aid undergirds nearly all services to the country’s some 40 million people. There, the Taliban’s deputy minister of economy, Abdul Latif Nazari, said that around 50 national and international aid organizations had their operations suspended, partly or entirely, across Afghanistan.

“These organizations have contributed to humanitarian aid for the people of Afghanistan,” said Nazari. He declined to specify why the charities had stopped work, but a senior aid worker in Kabul said it was because those organizations were receiving money through USAID. Like nearly all people interviewed for this story, he requested anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to media about the suspension to aid.

Amid the uncertainty, in Afghan bazaars, the price of items like bread flour, cooking oil and rice have been rising. Prices were rising before President Trump was inaugurated. But traders tell NPR that the chaos and uncertainty following his suspension of foreign aid is keeping prices high.

It’s created hardship to folks who are barely getting by, like 48-year-old Aqlima. She asked that NPR not use her last name, worried the Taliban could identify her. She said she was scraping by, through small tailoring jobs, and items she could once afford are now out of reach, like a gallon of cooking oil, which has increased by $5. “If we use oil for one meal, we skip it for two,” she said. She purchased a new wood heater a few months ago — now she can’t afford firewood. “We can only afford to breathe,” she sighed.

“It is chaos,” said a senior aid worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, of the impact on charities. “And the real danger is for women’s education and health care in Afghanistan, because these projects rely on USAID money.”

The health care interruptions include vaccination efforts. Nematullah Ghafouri, 30, a vaccinator in the western city of Herat, said he and his colleagues were told by their project manager on January 27 that their work was suspended. Ghafouri’s project to go door-to-door, vaccinating children against measles and polio, was funded through the United Nations Population Fund and the Agency for Assistance and Development in Afghanistan. Ghafouri did not know that his specific project used money obtained through USAID.

One of the projects that now has an uncertain future runs classes for Afghan girls in defiance of the Taliban. The hardline group does not allow girls to study beyond grade six, and so the project runs classes online, through the radio and even has a network of clandestine schools that educate over 5,000 girls across Afghanistan and employ over 100 teachers.

The project is “the brink of shutting down,” said one aid worker familiar with the situation. She requested anonymity because her aid group, like many more, does not want to be identified, to avoid drawing the ire of the Trump administration at a time when they are trying to negotiate a softening of the aid suspension.

The American University of Afghanistan has also suspended classes, according to an email sent to a student who took a screenshot of the message and shared it with NPR. “Once/if foreign aid is restored, then AUAF will begin teaching again,” the message read. AUAF is the acronym for the American University of Afghanistan. the school has continued teaching through Taliban rule and supports educating young women in defiance of Afghanistan’s rulers. The AUAF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

With additional reporting by Fazelminalah Qazizai in Kabul, Fariba Akbari in Paris.

U.S. aid freeze hits secret girls’ schools, post-flood repair and much more
read more

Turkey ends former Afghan government’s diplomatic tenure, paving way for Taliban-appointed mission

By Suzan Fraser
Washington Post/ AP
February 7, 2025
Turkey has terminated the mission of diplomats appointed by Afghanistan’s former pro-Western government

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has terminated the mission of diplomats appointed by Afghanistan’s former pro-Western government, the outgoing diplomatic team said, in a move that paves the way for the Taliban to appoint their own envoys .

“The interim administration of Afghanistan announced the end of the term of office of the ambassador and some diplomats in November 2024, and the duties of the ambassador and relevant diplomats have ended. The embassy continues its activities,” a Turkish official, who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press.

The development marks the latest diplomatic success for the Taliban, which has moved to take control of the country’s embassies and consulates overseas after more than three years in power. The takeover of diplomatic missions in Turkey pushes that number to more than 40.

“Due to the failed attempts of the Taliban to gain control of the embassy and the continuous pressure on the diplomats and employees of this embassy, as well as their pressure on the Turkish government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey has recently decided to terminate the mission of the ambassador and diplomats of this embassy,” the departing team said.

The statement said Turkey had made the decision to be able to keep open the country’s embassy in Kabul, and consulates in Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.

In Kabul, the Taliban-led Foreign Ministry said that “a change in the diplomatic staff in the diplomatic missions of countries is a normal practice.”

“The Embassy of Afghanistan in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, continues its activities as usual and is at the service of its citizens and other clients,” Zakir Jalali, a senior ministry official, said in a statement.

Last July, the Taliban said it no longer recognized diplomatic missions set up by the former Western-backed government. Most countries still haven’t accepted the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers.

Despite the Taliban and the West being at loggerheads, mostly because of the sweeping restrictions on women and girls, Afghan authorities have established ties with major regional powers including the Chinese government , Russia, and wealthy Gulf nations.

Robert Badendieck in Istanbul contributed.

Turkey ends former Afghan government’s diplomatic tenure, paving way for Taliban-appointed mission
read more