The Afghan embassy in London on Sunday confirmed it will close on September 27, following a formal request from the British government, according to the Afghan mission’s statement on X.
The announcement comes shortly after the Taliban foreign ministry announced that it will no longer recognize consular documents issued by Afghan diplomatic missions in several Western countries, including the UK.
The Taliban accused these embassies of operating independently and not following directives from Kabul.
However, the Taliban made exceptions for Afghan diplomatic missions in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, citing their engagement with the government in Kabul.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, many Afghan embassies have either been handed over to Taliban control or started following orders from Kabul.
Despite this, embassies in several Western nations have continued to operate independently, offering consular services to Afghan citizens.
Afghanistan’s government has been criticized by the international community due to the Taliban’s restrictive policies such as the denial of girls and women access to secondary and higher education.
As a result, no country has recognized the Taliban authorities so far.
