Kabul: Announcing that it has severed ties with some Afghan diplomatic missions abroad, the Taliban said it will not recognize consular services provided by them, urging people in these countries to approach Taliban-controlled embassies and consulates instead.
In a statement posted to the social media platform X, the 'Ministry of Foreign Affairs' said that documents issued by missions in London, Berlin, Belgium, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Norway are no longer valid and that the ministry “bears no responsibility” for those documents. The documents affected include passports, visa stickers, deeds, and endorsements.
"All Afghan nationals living abroad and foreigners can visit the IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) political and consular missions in other countries, other than the above-mentioned missions, to access consular services," it added. The move is seen as the Taliban's latest attempt to seize control over diplomatic missions staffed by the former Western-backed administration.
