Three senior diplomatic sources told Amu TV that despite Taliban pressure, 12 embassies and two consulates of Afghanistan remain under the control of diplomats from the former government.
According to the sources, with the exception of Afghanistan’s embassy in Tajikistan, these diplomatic missions currently function under the Coordination Council of Diplomatic and Consular Missions of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Additionally, Afghanistan’s permanent seats at the United Nations in New York and Geneva remain under the control of diplomats from the former republic.
More than three years after the Taliban took power, no country has formally recognized their government. The United Nations continues to recognize Afghanistan under the tricolor flag of the former republic, and the country’s seats at the U.N. headquarters in New York and Geneva remain occupied by diplomats from the previous administration.
Taliban push for diplomatic control
Since returning to power in 2021, Taliban have sought to take control of Afghanistan’s embassies abroad in an effort to accelerate their quest for international recognition. While they have gained control of some diplomatic posts, others remain under the former government’s envoys.
The embassies still operating outside Taliban control include those in Canada (along with two consulates), Australia, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Austria, Poland, Greece, South Korea, Sweden, and Italy.
Meanwhile, a diplomatic source noted that before the fall of the previous government, Afghanistan had 71 embassies and consulates worldwide. Over the past three and a half years, at least seven embassies and consulates, including those in India, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have shut down due to political and financial constraints.
Some embassies cooperate with Taliban
Sources also indicated that some embassies, while still operated by diplomats from the former government, have begun coordinating with the Taliban. In August 2024, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry stated that the consular services of five embassies and consulates in Europe were being processed with their approval.
According to a statement issued on August 5, 2024, the Taliban recognized the consular documents issued by:
Afghanistan’s Consulate General in Munich, Germany
Afghanistan’s Embassy in the Netherlands
Afghanistan’s Embassy in Spain
Afghanistan’s Embassy in Bulgaria
Afghanistan’s Embassy in the Czech Republic
On February 5, 2025, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that their administration was engaging with 40 countries on diplomatic affairs. “Our embassies, consulates, and diplomatic institutions are interacting with 40 countries, and those countries also have embassies in Afghanistan,” he said.
While Taliban have taken control of some diplomatic missions, former Afghan diplomats argue that this does not equate to official recognition.
“With new tactics, the Taliban are aggressively seeking control over diplomatic missions, believing that this will help them establish formal ties,” said Shukria Barakzai, Afghanistan’s former ambassador to Norway. “But gaining control of an embassy does not automatically translate into official diplomatic recognition by the host country.”
Afghanistan’s Embassy in Tajikistan also remains under the control of former government diplomats, bringing the total number of embassies resisting Taliban control to 14. However, it is not listed among the embassies formally affiliated with the Coordination Council of the Diplomatic and Consular Missions of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
