US to shut down Afghan embassy

Afghan diplomats in the US have been informed that their embassy in Washington will be closed down and will also be stripped of their diplomatic immunity.

As per the sources familiar with the matter told Al Arabiya that the Afghan consulate missions in Los Angeles and New York would also be shut down, reported Pajhwok Afghan News. It added the Afghan diplomats in the US had been informed via a memo at the beginning of the week that they would also be stripped of their immunity.

Al Arabiya also quoted a State Department official as saying there had been no change in the status of the Afghan mission or its personnel.

However, an unnamed diplomat told Al Arabiya, "They said there would be a shutdown of the embassy and the consulate missions," reported Pajhwok Afghan News.

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.
Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani saw his government collapse on August 15 after he fled the country and the Afghan security forces failed to prevent the Taliban from taking over.

But the diplomats at the Afghan Embassy in the US refused to acknowledge the Taliban and rebuffed all of the group's attempts of opening lines of communication, Deputy Chief of Mission Abdul Hadi Nejrabi told Al Arabiya English in an interview last month. 

(With inputs from agencies)