The special envoys of Russia, Pakistan and China to Afghanistan are holding a meeting in the Russian capital, Moscow, with the aim of formulating a unified position regarding the handling of Afghanistan's neighboring countries with developments in the situation following the Taliban movement's seizure of power, while the US State Department's General Inspectorate began investigations into US diplomatic operations in Afghanistan. .

The meeting of the expanded tripartite (Russia, China, Pakistan and America) will be held in Moscow a day before the talks hosted by the Russian capital in the framework of what is known as the Moscow formula, in which the delegation of the Afghan caretaker government and representatives of 10 countries surrounding Afghanistan, namely Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the republics of Asia will participate. Central Five (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan).

The Russian President's envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, had said a few days ago that the expanded tripartite meeting would come out with documents related to the strategy for dealing with the developments in the Afghan situation.

Last September, Russia's envoy to Afghanistan, his Pakistani counterparts Muhammad Sadiq and China's Yue Xiaoying held talks in the Afghan capital, Kabul, at the invitation of the Taliban, and discussed with officials in the interim government formed by the Taliban the developments in Afghanistan.

The US envoy to Afghanistan is absent from the expanded tripartite meeting, due to logistical reasons, according to the US State Department, which said that logistical problems prevent its participation, but considered that the forum that Russia will organize is "constructive."

And US State Department spokesman Ned Price refused to clarify what these logistical problems were.


A review of diplomatic activity

On the other hand, the US website Politico quoted US officials as saying that the US State Department's Inspector General has launched investigations into US diplomatic operations in Afghanistan.

In a memo to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, POLITICO stated that the review processes would cover the procedures for admission of Afghan refugees into the United States, their resettlement, the evacuation of the US Embassy in Kabul, and the evacuation of Americans and Afghan collaborators.

According to Minister Blinken's memo seen by the site and issued last Thursday, the review processes will include the special immigrant visa program.

And Reuters reported that Acting Inspector General of the US State Department Diana Shaw told Congress on Monday that her office will begin several tasks related to ending US military and diplomatic operations in Afghanistan, and Shaw is scheduled to report to lawmakers on Tuesday.

The US-backed Afghan government collapsed in mid-August, with the Taliban advancing across the country at breakneck speed and entering the capital, Kabul.

And US Republicans sharply criticized the administration of President Joe Biden for the collapse of the 20-year war effort in Afghanistan, as they accused the Biden administration of orchestrating a failed military withdrawal.

The US State Department said that Tom West has appointed a new US envoy to Afghanistan, to succeed Zalmay Khalilzad.

West has handled Afghan politics within Biden's presidential transition team, and has worked closely with Khalilzad for months

Khalilzad's resignation

In a related context, the US special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said in a statement to Al-Jazeera that he had stepped down from his position, and a US State Department statement stated that Tom West, Khalilzad's deputy, had been appointed as the new US envoy to Afghanistan.

CNN reported that West was managing Afghan politics within Biden's presidential transition team, and had worked closely with Khalilzad for months.

It is noteworthy that Khalilzad, who was born in Afghanistan and served as Washington's ambassador to both Afghanistan and Iraq, led America's talks with the Taliban in Qatar, which resulted in a historic agreement signed in Doha in February 2020.

On the other hand, Al Jazeera obtained pictures from surveillance cameras showing the moment of suicide bombings and shootings targeting a Shiite mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar last Friday.

The pictures show random shooting inside the mosque after it was stormed by gunmen and then the moment of the suicide bombing inside it.

The attack killed more than 60 civilians and injured 80 others.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban has pledged to provide special security for Shiite mosques in Afghanistan.