Australia considering re-establishing presence in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Less than a month after abandoning its Kabul post, Australia is considering re-establishing a presence in Afghanistan to monitor the resurgence of the Taliban, according to a media report.

The last Australian diplomats, military and intelligence officers quietly left the war-torn country on June 18 despite serious doubts about the strategic wisdom of the retreat.

But the ABC has been told Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who is known to have been very reluctant about leaving Afghanistan, remains inclined to stage a careful return in the next few months.

A spokesman for Senator Payne said Australia's diplomatic arrangements in Afghanistan "were always expected to be temporary, with the intention of resuming a permanent presence once circumstances permit."

"That remains our position. We continue to engage closely with partners, including the Afghanistan government and coalition member countries.

"We will not comment on intelligence matters."

Though no formal planning is underway, the early thinking is that an Australian return would initially involve stationing intelligence officers, possibly within the CIA's Kabul headquarters.

If deemed sufficiently safe, Australian diplomats might return to the Afghan capital, although reopening the Australian embassy inside Kabul's walled-off green zone might not be immediate.

Instead, Australia would likely ask the United States or Britain to temporarily house officials.

There is concern inside the foreign service that the Afghanistan withdrawal of all Australian personnel is limiting real-time, on-the-spot intelligence in a critical Middle East hot spot.

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