Militants affiliated with Daesh threatened to target Chinese, Indian, and Iranian embassies in Afghanistan in an effort to isolate the Taliban from a number of countries in the region, the UN said on Wednesday.
UN said in a report that Daesh militants in Afghanistan are attempting to “undermine the relationship between the Taliban and member states in the region.”
The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the report in a meeting in New York today.
Daesh has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in Afghanistan over the past two months, including an attack on the foreign ministry compound in Kabul, an attack on the Pakistani embassy and an attack on Chinese nationals at a hotel in downtown Kabul.
Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Kabul on Thursday, Feb. 2, over threats of a possible attack by Daesh on the diplomatic office, sources from the Taliban foreign ministry said.
Sources said all diplomats and employees of the embassy had been moved to Islamabad and it is not clear when they will return to Kabul.
A senior diplomat from Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry told Amu they received reports that Daesh was planning to attack the Saudi diplomatic office in Kabul using a car bomb. The diplomat said that the threat prompted them to close the embassy.
Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Kabul on Feb. 2 because of the recent threats made by the militant group and its staff were evacuated to Islamabad.
After the fall of the Republic government, most foreign embassies closed. Since then only 12 foreign embassies are in Kabul. They are Iran, Pakistan, Qatar, China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, India and Turkey.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Amu this week that France, US, Britain, Germany, Canada, Spain and Australia are operating in Doha and “are in contact with our embassy there (in Doha).”
Over the past year under Taliban rule, Daesh has claimed responsibility for attacks on Russia and Pakistan embassies in Kabul as well as an attack on a hotel accommodating Chinese nationals in the Afghan capital.
Taliban has often stressed that the security of diplomatic offices and foreign diplomats will be maintained.
