The Taliban asks the US to maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul
New Delhi: Before the US clears its stand on maintaining relations with Afghanistan, The Taliban has cleared its stand on the relations with the US. After taking the control of Afghanistan the Taliban asks the US to maintain its diplomatic presence in Kabul.
The US official on Friday said that “The Taliban has asked the United States to maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul after the American pullout but Washington has yet to decide on its plans.”
On condition of anonymity, the US official said that “Afghanistan’s new hardline Islamist rulers want countries to keep their embassies open after the evacuation mission wraps on August 31.”
US military is scheduled to leave Kabul Tuesday under the deadline set and insisted on by President Joe Biden. So if Biden kept a presence in Kabul there would be no soldiers to protect diplomats.
In these conditions, and with the US far from recognizing a government run by the Taliban, a continuing US diplomatic presence in Kabul is a big question mark. This issue is being debated within the administration, the US officials said.
They said the safety of US officials is the top priority and a decision might be announced early next week, immediately before the withdrawal is completed.
After the Taliban takeover on August 15, the remaining diplomats from the US embassy fled to the US-secured airport in Kabul.
