Taliban, "US Embassy in Kabul Expected to Reopen Soon"

End of US Troop Withdrawal, Major Countries' Embassies Also Evacuated
Urgent Need for US and International Community to Recognize Regime and Lift Asset Freezes

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Taliban, the armed faction in Afghanistan, expressed hope for the swift reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, which was relocated to Qatar following the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. This is interpreted as a desire to normalize relations with the United States and the international community amid worsening economic difficulties caused by the freezing of funds by the U.S. and the international community, which has made it difficult to resolve public livelihood issues.

On the 1st (local time), according to Afghan local media Tolo News, Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the Taliban, stated at a press conference, "The U.S. Embassy should be located in Kabul, not Qatar," and added, "We look forward to the swift reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and hope to establish trade relations with the United States soon."

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, with the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, the U.S. Ambassador and embassy staff in Kabul also withdrew, and the U.S. State Department announced that all embassy operations were transferred to the embassy based in Qatar.

The Taliban is also reportedly hoping for the swift reopening of diplomatic missions from various countries that withdrew from Kabul before and after the U.S. military withdrawal, not just the United States. Before the Taliban's occupation of Kabul, there were embassies from 36 countries, including the United States, established in Kabul.

The main reason the Taliban hopes to restore relations with the United States and other countries is interpreted as the economic crisis. Currently, the United States has canceled dollar shipments to Afghanistan, and the foreign exchange reserves of the Afghan central bank, managed by the Federal Reserve (Fed) and U.S. financial institutions, have been frozen. Funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reserves and the World Bank (WB) has also been completely suspended.

As a result, Afghanistan, which depended on U.S. and international community aid for more than 75% of its finances and over 40% of its total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has fallen into a severe economic crisis. The Associated Press reported, "The Taliban desperately wants international recognition of its regime and the lifting of sanctions to resolve the economic crisis, and if it fails, governing Afghanistan will be nearly impossible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.