Taliban now oversees 39 Afghan embassies around the world

The Taliban administration currently oversees 39 Afghan embassies and consulates worldwide, three years following its takeover of Afghanistan and the subsequent fall of the Western-supported government, as reported by the acting foreign ministry on Thursday.

No international government has officially recognized the Taliban administration; however, both China and the United Arab Emirates have accepted its ambassadors in their respective capitals. Numerous governments, particularly Western nations such as the United States, have indicated that formal recognition of the Taliban is contingent upon changes in their policies regarding women’s rights, including the reopening of high schools and universities for girls and women, as well as granting them full freedom of movement.

The Taliban asserts that it upholds rights in line with its interpretation of Islamic law, claiming that restrictions on its banking sector and the lack of international recognition are impeding its economic progress.

Following the collapse of Afghanistan’s republic government in 2021, foreign embassies faced significant disruption, with many issuing documents like visas and passports that the Taliban has contested. The Taliban has designated its own diplomats to lead several embassies, including ambassadors in Abu Dhabi and Beijing, as well as a charge d’affaires in neighboring Pakistan. In some locations, diplomats from the previous government are collaborating with Taliban officials.

At a press conference in Kabul, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban, stated that thirty-nine embassies and diplomatic missions are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He noted that over the past year, his ministry has dispatched numerous diplomats to eleven countries, including Turkey, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan.

Muttaqi also mentioned that Afghanistan plans to appoint a new ambassador to Uzbekistan this week and expressed optimism that Russia would soon remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations.

In July, the Taliban announced its decision to sever ties with at least fourteen Afghan diplomatic missions, declaring that it would no longer recognize passports and visas issued by those embassies, primarily located in Europe.