Envoy says US has no plans to reopen embassy in Kabul as concern grows over deadly ISIS-K attacks
The US embassy in Kabul will remain closed as Washington monitors Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
A surge in ISIS attacks is also a concern, US special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West said on Monday.
“When it comes to reopening our embassy in Kabul, I have to tell you candidly that we are not seriously thinking about taking that step,” said Mr West, who has replaced Zalmay Khalilzad.
“What we want to see is the establishment of a record of responsible conduct by the Taliban, of predictable conduct, and then we will assess what needs we have on the diplomatic front.”
Mr West said the rights of women and girls, including their access to education, were essential.
“We want to see steps taken to form an inclusive and representative government,” he said.
Last month, Mr West and other officials took part in a two-day meeting with Taliban leaders in Doha. He said talks would continue.
“We are preparing for a next round of inter-agency engagement with the Taliban,” he said.
The US is growing increasingly concerned about the threat from ISIS-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
“We’re worried about the uptick in ISIS-K attacks and we want the Taliban to be successful against them,” he said.
“Al Qaeda continues to have a presence in Afghanistan that we are very concerned about.”
ISIS-K have claimed responsibility for attacks across Afghanistan, including last week’s hospital attack in Kabul that killed and injured dozens.
The US envoy is in Brussels for talks with Nato allies on Afghanistan and will travel to India, Pakistan and Russia for further talks.
“It’s imperative that we work with the region, with Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and the Central Asian states on our common and abiding interest in a stable Afghanistan,” he said.
Last month, Congress was told that the US is holding conversations with Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to keep airspace open for American counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan.
“We are going to co-operate with the countries of the region when it comes to counterterrorism,” Mr West said.