US decides to shut down Afghanistan’s embassy, consulates

KABUL (Pajhwok): The US government has informed Afghanistan’s diplomats in the country that they will shut down the embassy in Washington and the consulate missions in Los Angeles and New York, according to a media report on Friday.

The Afghan diplomats will also be stripped of their diplomatic immunity, Al Arabia has reported citing a memo sent to the Afghan diplomats at the beginning of the week.

A State Department official told Al Arabiya English that there had been “no change in the status of the Afghan mission or its personnel.”

But 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.”

Washington’s move comes less than six months after the Chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

The Taliban have not been recognized by much of the international community, including the United States. However, Norway hosted the Taliban this week for meetings with Western officials.

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