Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
AT News
KABUL: The U.S. has taken control of Afghanistan’s embassy in Washington and the consulates in New York and Beverly Hills, California, the State Department said on Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of State said that it had taken the “sole responsibility” for the security and maintenance of the diplomatic missions effective on Monday and would bar anyone from entering them without its permission until further notice.
This comes as U.S. department of state earlier announced that the Afghan embassy and consulates had “formally ceased conducting diplomatic and consular activities in the United States” at noon on May 16.
The current government of Afghanistan has yet to be recognized by any world country. The US also doesn’t recognize the Islamic Emirate, however it said it will remain engage in talks with Kabul over human rights, and formation of an inclusive government.
The department noted Afghanistan had not requested a third country to serve as a “protecting power” for its facilities or interests in the U.S. Since Washington closed its embassy in Kabul, Qatar has served as the U.S. protecting power in Afghanistan.
“Until further notice, the Department of State’s Office of Foreign Missions has assumed sole responsibility for ensuring the protection and preservation of the property of the referenced missions, including but not limited to all real and tangible property, furnishings, archives, and financial assets of the Afghan Embassy or its consular posts in the United States,” the department said in a notice to be published Wednesday in the Federal Register.
