US Embassy in Kabul Closed, US Diplomats Relocated
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After the Pentagon announced the completion of the US military withdrawal on Monday, US State Secretary Antony Blinken announced that the Embassy in Kabul will remain vacant.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
After the full retreat of the US military from Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US diplomats have left the country and have been relocated to Doha, noting that the US Embassy in Kabul will remain closed.
He says American diplomats who had worked from the now-closed embassy will be based in Doha, Qatar. Blinken stressed that the United States would “work” with the "Taliban” if it “fulfilled” its commitments.
“Every step we will take will not be based on what the Taliban government says, but on what it does to fulfill its commitments,” Blinken told reporters, emphasizing that the recognition and support the Movement is demanding from the international community must be “earned”.
The US Secretary of State remarked that given the uncertain security environment and political situation in Afghanistan, “it was the prudent step to take.” America’s “longest” war, costing human life and endless financial repercussions, "demands reflection,” Blinken disclosed.
“We must learn its lessons and allow those lessons to shape how we think about fundamental questions of national security and foreign policy,” he said. “We owe that to future diplomats, policymakers, military leaders, and service members. We owe that to the American people.”
Furthermore, he described the withdrawal as a “new chapter of America’s engagement with Afghanistan,” in which the US will "lead with our diplomacy."
