In letters provided to Afghanistan International, the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the termination of the employment of six former government diplomats in the Afghan missions in Berlin and Bonn.
The German government has also accepted the Taliban's order to end the work of these diplomats.
The Taliban's Foreign Ministry letter states that the mission of these diplomats had already ended, but they continue their work.
According to the letters, which were written on December 18, 2024, the Afghan embassy in Berlin has been instructed not to allow the six diplomats to work again starting from the end of December 2024.
The letters mention Noor Ahmad Salangi, first secretary of the Afghan embassy in Berlin; Farid Khan, second secretary, and Mohammad Nasim Faqirzada, third secretary of the embassy, as well as Bijan Paya Taheri and Karamuddin Bayazidi as consuls and Mohammad Zahir Yaftali as attaché at the Afghan consulate in Bonn.
The Taliban's Foreign Ministry has asked the Afghan embassy in Berlin to share the matter with the host country and report to the ministry.
In a letter sent to the Afghan embassy in Berlin on December 20, two days after the letters were sent, the German Foreign Ministry said that it would officially announce the termination of the official mission of the six diplomats.
The ministry's letter, a copy of which was provided to Afghanistan International, emphasises that accepting the Taliban's request does not mean that the Taliban regime is officially recognised as the official government of Afghanistan, but is based on international law.
The German Foreign Ministry note states that "a reasonable deadline for the departure of diplomats and consular officers, as well as their family members, has been set at January 30, 2025," and that their diplomatic privileges and immunities will expire on the same date.
With the removal of the six diplomats, only two of them, Abdul Baqi Popal and Mohammad Asif Abdullah, who have "long-standing ties with the Taliban regime", will take control of the Afghan embassy and consulate in Berlin and Bonn, diplomatic sources told Afghanistan International.
On November 19, 2024, Afghanistan's ambassador to Germany, Yama Yari, announced that he had stepped down from his position at the request of the host country.
Diplomatic sources told Afghanistan International at the time that Abdul Baqi Popal had taken over as the head of the Afghan embassy in Germany instead of Yari.
