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U.S. takes control of Afghan embassy and consulates
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The United States has taken control of the Afghan Embassy in Washington and Afghan consulates in two U.S. states, the State Department has said.
The State Department has assumed “sole responsibility” for the security and maintenance of the diplomatic missions and their “furnishings, archives, and financial assets” and will bar anyone from entering them without its permission until further notice, the department said in a notice to be published on May 18 in the Federal Register, the Associated Press reported.
The move came after the department determined that the embassy and the consulates in Little Neck, New York, and Beverly Hills, California, had “formally ceased conducting diplomatic and consular activities in the United States” at noon on May 16.
Washington does not recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) led government in Afghanistan, which took power last year after the withdrawal of U.S. and allied troops, and does not have formal diplomatic relations with the country.
A department official told AP the step did not signal any change in U.S. policy toward Afghanistan.
The United States took control of the facilities in an agreement with diplomats from the former Afghan government who faced “severe financial constraints that made continued operations unsustainable,” the official said.
The department noted Afghanistan had not requested a third country to serve as a “protecting power” for its U.S. facilities or interests. Since Washington closed its embassy in Kabul, Qatar has served as the U.S. protecting power in Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate, has however, emphasized the need for the establishment of diplomatic relations with the countries and says that interaction with Afghanistan will benefit all countries.
Bilal Karimi, Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said: “The Islamic Emirate is working on diplomatic issues and has good diplomatic relations with many countries, and it is hoped that diplomatic avenues will be open and there will be no problems in this area, and this will benefit all countries to have diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.”
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Floods in Farah and Kandahar claim the lives of 29 people
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Officials from the disaster management departments of Farah and Kandahar report that floods in these two provinces have resulted in 29 fatalities and nine injuries.
Mohammad Israel Sayar, the head of disaster management in Farah, confirmed to Ariana News that 21 people lost their lives and six others were injured due to floods on Tuesday in the Qala-e-Kah district of the province.
According to Sayar, the victims had gone to the mountains of Qala-e-Kah for recreation purposes when floodwaters suddenly swept them away.
Officials from the disaster management department in Kandahar also stated that floods in the province have caused 11 deaths and injuries.
They reported that in the seventh district of the province, one woman and three children died when the roof of a house collapsed.
They added that in the fifth security district of the province, three women and one child lost their lives due to the floods. Two children and one man were also injured.
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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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