Its employees have not been paid for months
Afghan diplomatic missions face bankruptcy
The deputy ambassador in Washington does not expect the work to continue for long.
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The headquarters of the Afghan embassy in Washington.
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Most of the diplomats appointed by the former Afghan government applied for asylum in the United States, forgotten by the Taliban's takeover, with barely enough money to keep the embassy lights on.
A total of 55 officials and their family members are seeking asylum and have been granted temporary work visas, while the US State Department is processing more than 100,000 applications from Afghans who have fled Kabul.
The red, green and black flag still flies above the embassy building, but most normal business is halted, as the mission's phone, in Washington, was recently disconnected, and accounts were deleted from social media.
This is a recurring scene in 45 embassies and 20 consulates around the world, where some employees are said to have moved because they could not pay the rent of their own apartments.
“This is not something we wanted,” Abdulhadi Najrabi, the deputy chief of the diplomatic mission in Washington, told the New York Times. “This thing has come, and we may not be able to last for long.
There is still much work to be done;
But we are on a path that we cannot continue.”
Najrabi added that staff are still receiving documents and other consular requests, in addition to helping Afghans who have fled to the United States to escape the Taliban.
The embassy earns between 2000 and 3000 dollars a month from these services, which enables it to keep the lights on and the heating running;
But not enough to pay salaries.
Afghan diplomats around the world, led by senior ambassadors in Western capitals, refused to join an online conference arranged by the Taliban's foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaki, late last year.
Most have still not spoken to him, and no embassy has recognized the new system.
Funds at many embassies are running out, leaving officials frustrated as they face many requests to help Afghans, who are trying to find ways to stay legally in foreign countries.
"A lot of (employees) haven't been paid for months," said an Afghan ambassador, who asked not to be named.
With the little money we have in the embassy, the priorities we have.”
In some cities such as New York and most European capitals, the embassy building is owned by the Afghan government, so there is no threat of real estate claims from the host countries.
However, embassies buildings in some other countries are rented, leaving large bills to pay.
• Funds at many embassies are running out, leaving officials frustrated, as they face many requests to help Afghans, who are trying to find ways to stay legally in foreign countries.
• 100,000 asylum applications submitted by Afghans, who fled Kabul, in the United States.
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