Turkey ends Afghan diplomats' mission, paving way for Taliban to appoint their own team

ANKARA: Turkey has terminated the mission of Afghan diplomats who were appointed by Afghanistan's former, pro-Western government, the outgoing diplomatic team said, in a move that paves the way for the Taliban to appoint their own envoys.

The departing team said on X that it had handed over the embassy in Ankara to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday. The unusually strongly-worded statement said that the decision by Turkey's government to end the mission was the result of pressure by the Taliban on the diplomats and Turkish officials.

There was no immediate statement from officials in Ankara.

It's another diplomatic success for the Taliban, which have moved to take control of the country's embassies and consulates overseas after more than three years in power. Their takeover of diplomatic missions in Turkey pushes that number to more than 40.

"Due to the failed attempts of the Taliban to gain control of the embassy and the continuous pressure on the diplomats and employees of this embassy, as well as their pressure on the Turkish government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey has recently decided to terminate the mission of the ambassador and diplomats of this embassy," the departing team said.

The statement maintained that Turkey had made the decision to be able to keep open the country's embassy in Kabul, and consulates in Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.

In Kabul, the Taliban-led Foreign Ministry said that "a change in the diplomatic staff in the diplomatic missions of countries is a normal practice."

"The Embassy of Afghanistan in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, continues its activities as usual and is at the service of its citizens and other clients," Zakir Jalali, a senior ministry official, said in a statement.

Last July, the Taliban said they no longer recognized diplomatic missions set up by the former, Western-backed government. Most countries still haven't accepted the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate rulers.

Despite the Taliban and the West being at loggerheads, mostly because of the sweeping restrictions on women and girls, Afghan authorities have established ties with major regional powers including the Chinese government, Russia, and wealthy Gulf nations.