Riyadh ‘shuts down’ Kabul embassy; Taliban deny
Owing to security concerns, Saudi Arabia has allegedly shut down its embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
The Czech government’s diplomatic mission in Afghanistan has also reportedly been shut down, according to reports.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement that their embassy in Kabul has been closed out of concern for an Islamic State attack. In addition, it stated that the embassy’s diplomats and staff have relocated to Islamabad.
According to Saudi Foreign Ministry officials, IS planned to use a car bomb on the embassy, according to the Afghan media.
“Temporary departure” Meanwhile, the Taliban administration in Afghanistan denied the reports on Monday, claiming that Saudi diplomats had left for “training” and would return.
A diplomatic source and two other sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia’s diplomats left by air and moved to Pakistan late last week because of warnings about increased attacks in Kabul.
The Afghan Taliban claimed that the diplomats’ departure was not for security reasons but rather was temporary.
According to Reuters, a Taliban administration spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, stated, “Some employees of Saudi Arabia’s embassy have gone out for a kind of training, and will return.”
It was not immediately clear how many Saudi diplomats had left Afghanistan or how long they intended to remain there.
