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Afghanistan’s embassy in London ordered to close
Iran meanwhile reacted to the announcement and said this move will bring European countries closer to Kabul.
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Zalmai Rassoul, the ambassador of the former Afghan government in London, said Monday that the British authorities have given them notice to close the embassy.
He said the embassy will officially close on September 27.
Afghan embassy staff at numerous missions around the world continued to operate after the fall of the previous government.
While no country has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate government, a number of them in the Middle East and Asia have accepted Islamic Emirate diplomatic representation.
Embassies in the West however have mostly continued to operate.
However, at the end of July, the Islamic Emirate announced that it no longer recognizes Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions set up by the former, Western-backed government and that they will not honor passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats associated with the previous administration.
Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations is still held by the former Ashraf Ghani government, despite the IEA’s repeated requests for it to be handed over.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in July that documents issued by missions in London, Berlin, Belgium, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Norway are no longer accepted
Rassoul meanwhile said on X that “the Afghan embassy in Britain is officially scheduled to be closed on September 27, 2024, based on the official request of the host country. This decision has been taken based on the needs of the authorities of the host country.”
Britain has also reportedly given the embassy staff 90 days to decide whether to leave the UK or stay in the country and claim asylum.
Iran meanwhile reacted to the announcement and said this move will bring European countries closer to Kabul.
Seyed Rasoul Mousavi, the director general of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s West Asia department said in a post on X on Monday that the move “seems contradictory, but it is the path that Europe has started.”
In addition, Germany’s Foreign Ministry recently admitted that it has started official correspondence with the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The German government has also asked the Afghan embassy and consulate in Berlin and Bonn to establish relations with Kabul.
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US senator pushes bill to block US funds from reaching Afghanistan
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Republican Senator Tim Sheehy said on Monday night that he is leading efforts to push the No Taxpayer Funding for Terrorists Act in the US Senate, which will prevent American financial aid from reaching Afghanistan.
In a post on X, the Montana senator, who is a former Navy Seal, said: “After fighting terrorists for years in Iraq and Afghanistan, I’m proud to lead the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act in the U.S. Senate.”
The bill was originally introduced in the House of Representatives by Republican Congressman Tim Burchett to oppose financial and material support from going to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). The bill was passed during President Joe Biden’s administration but failed to secure Senate approval.
However, on Monday, Congressman Tim Burchett issued a statement saying he will hold a press conference on Tuesday, February 25, on the Act.
He said in Monday’s statement that while working on the bill “it was brought to our attention that weekly cash shipments of around $40 million USD were being sent to the Afghanistan Central Bank.
“Additionally, after a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in December of 2024, Secretary Blinken admitted that around $10 million had been paid to the Taliban (IEA) in the form of taxes.”
He said the bill was “passed unanimously through both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.”
“This legislation has been sat on long enough. We need to move this through both chambers and get it to President Trump’s desk,” said Burchett.
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Torkham remains closed after Pakistan-Afghanistan talks fail
The Pakistani authorities have requested that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) refrain from constructing new facilities along the Durand Line.
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The Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan remained closed on Tuesday after four days of negotiations between officials from the two countries failed to yield results.
Torkham commissioner Abdul Jabbar Hikmat reported that discussions held Monday were chaired by the deputy governor of Nangarhar but ended without any agreement.
The Pakistani authorities have requested that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) refrain from constructing new facilities along the Durand Line.
According to Bakhtar news agency, Pakistan also said Afghanistan should not obstruct Pakistan’s own development projects in the area.
Hikmat confirmed that this request was rejected by the Afghan side, which resulted in Pakistan maintaining its closure of the Torkham gate.
The ongoing closure has left thousands of travelers, including medical patients and commercial convoys stranded on both sides of the border.
Torkham is a key crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, especially for trucks. Closures of this border crossing result in huge losses for traders as many rely on this route to move fresh produce between the two countries.
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IEA confirms arrest of UK couple and a Chinese-American in Afghanistan
Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the detention of the two British nationals adding that the government was supporting their family.
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Afghanistan’s ministry of interior’s spokesman, Abdul Mateen Qani, confirmed Monday night that the Islamic Emirate has detained two Brits, a Chinese-American, and their Afghan translator.
Qani told AFP that “efforts are underway to resolve this issue”.
The two Brits, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, are both in their 70s and were detained in Bamiyan province.
According to their daughter, the couple has lived in Afghanistan for 18 years and stayed on after the IEA regained control.
“Based on certain considerations, the authorities have detained four people: two British citizens holding Afghan papers, one person with Chinese and American nationality and their translator,” Qani told AFP.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the detention of the two British nationals adding that the government was supporting their family.
“We are supporting the family of two British nationals who are detained in Afghanistan,” a spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
In a statement reported by the BBC on Monday, Qani said: “A series of considerations are being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible.”
Qani added the three foreign nationals had Afghan passports and national ID cards.
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