The Complex Diplomatic Dance: America's Ambassadorial Absence In Afghanistan

The United States of America previously had an embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, which was the official diplomatic mission of the United States to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The embassy was located on Great Massoud Road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood of the Afghan capital, and was built at a cost of nearly $800 million. However, in August 2021, facing a Taliban advance on Kabul, embassy staff relocated to Hamid Karzai International Airport. The embassy suspended operations in Afghanistan and transferred operations to Doha, Qatar, and there has been no official Senate-confirmed ambassador since.

The US ambassador to Afghanistan is the official diplomatic representative of the US to Afghanistan

The first ambassador appointed to Afghanistan was William H. Hornibrook, who was concurrently commissioned to Persia (Iran) and resided in Tehran. Until 1942, the U.S. Ambassador to Persia/Iran was also the Ambassador to Afghanistan.

The U.S. Legation at Kabul was established on June 6, 1942, with Charles W. Thayer as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. Cornelius Van Hemert Engert presented his credentials to the government of Afghanistan on July 2, 1942, as the first envoy solely accredited to Afghanistan.

Since then, there have been several US ambassadors to Afghanistan, including Louis G. Dreyfus, Jr., Angus I. Ward, and Sheldon T. Mills. The last US ambassador to Afghanistan before the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in 2021 was Ross Wilson.

Following the fall of Kabul, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul transferred operations to Doha, Qatar. Since December 31, 2021, the U.S. Interests Section at the Embassy of Qatar in Kabul has served as the protecting power for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

The US Embassy in Kabul transferred operations to Doha, Qatar, in 2021

The US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, was the official diplomatic mission of the United States of America to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The embassy was housed in a chancery located on Great Massoud Road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood of the Afghan capital, Kabul, and was built at a cost of nearly $800 million.

On August 15, 2021, as the Taliban advanced on Kabul, embassy staff relocated to makeshift but secure facilities at Hamid Karzai International Airport. The chancery building officially closed late on August 15, 2021, as Kabul fell to the Taliban. The US Embassy in Kabul did not have an official Senate-confirmed ambassador at the time of the Taliban takeover; the final head of the mission in Afghanistan was Chargé d'Affaires Ross Wilson.

On August 31, 2021, the embassy suspended operations in Afghanistan and transferred operations to Doha, Qatar, with former deputy chief of mission Ian McCary serving as Chargé d'Affaires. The US State Department had urged Americans, foreign nationals, and Afghans leaving Afghanistan to stay up to date with security and consular alerts. The US Interests Section at the Embassy of Qatar in Kabul was established as the protecting power of the US in Afghanistan on December 31, 2021.

The US has strong bilateral relations with Qatar, coordinating closely on a wide range of regional and global issues. Qatar has played a constructive financial, political, and military role in addressing regional turmoil and has contributed to progress, stability, and prosperity in the region. The United States welcomes thousands of Qatari students to study in the country every year, and six major US universities have branch campuses in Qatar. The US is also Qatar's largest foreign direct investor and its single largest source of imports, with over 120 US companies operating in the country.

The US Legation at Kabul was established in 1942, with Charles W. Thayer as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim

The US Legation in Kabul, Afghanistan, was established on June 6, 1942, with Charles W. Thayer as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. Thayer, an American diplomat and author, was born in 1910 in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and attended the U.S. Military Academy, graduating in 1933. He served briefly as a cavalry lieutenant before becoming a Foreign Service officer in 1937.

Thayer's appointment as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim in Kabul marked the beginning of dedicated diplomatic representation for the United States in Afghanistan. Prior to this, from 1921 when the US recognised Afghanistan, the US ambassador to Persia (now Iran) was concurrently accredited to Afghanistan. Thayer's role as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim indicated that he was temporarily heading the diplomatic mission in Kabul, either due to the absence or non-appointment of an ambassador.

Thayer's expertise lay in Soviet-American relations, and he played a significant role in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which would later become the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He served in various diplomatic capacities in Moscow, Belgrade, London, and Austria, contributing to efforts related to World War II and its aftermath. Thayer's career was, however, marred by accusations of communist sympathies and personal conduct, leading to his eventual resignation from the State Department in 1953.

The US Legation in Kabul, established in 1942, laid the foundation for the elevation of diplomatic relations between the US and Afghanistan. In 1948, the legation was raised to the status of an embassy, further solidifying the diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The US Embassy in Kabul was evacuated in 2021 due to the Taliban advance

The US Embassy in Kabul was evacuated on 15 August 2021, as the Taliban advanced on the city. The evacuation came as the Taliban took control of the country, with Afghan government forces collapsing and President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country.

The US had already begun withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan in April 2021, with President Biden announcing his intention to withdraw all regular US troops by 11 September 2021. However, the speed of the Taliban's advance took US officials by surprise, and the US Embassy in Kabul was forced to evacuate earlier than expected.

On 12 August, the US State Department announced a partial evacuation of the embassy, with 3,000 US soldiers and Marines temporarily deployed to Kabul to evacuate embassy staff. By 15 August, the evacuation was complete, with all embassy staff relocated to Hamid Karzai International Airport. The US flag was also sent to the airport, and the embassy compound officially closed.

The evacuation was a frantic and chaotic affair, with US military helicopters making repeat trips to ferry diplomats and officials to the airport, while firing flares to deter potential Taliban rocket attacks. There were also reports of gunfire at the airport, and US citizens in the area were instructed to take shelter.

The US Embassy in Kabul had been the official diplomatic mission of the US to Afghanistan. At the time of the Taliban takeover, the embassy did not have an official Senate-confirmed ambassador, with the final head of the mission being Chargé d'Affaires Ross Wilson.

The last ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the US was Adela Raz

Raz succeeded Roya Rahmani as ambassador to the US. She resigned from her position in February 2022, and the following month, the embassy and consulates closed, bringing an end to all diplomatic and consular activities.

Raz's appointment as ambassador came towards the end of Afghanistan's long-standing diplomatic relationship with the US. The US first recognised Afghanistan in 1921, and established diplomatic relations in 1935. The US Embassy in Kabul was the centre of diplomatic relations between the two countries, but it has been forced to close several times due to security concerns. The embassy was closed in 1989, before the start of the long civil war followed by the Taliban takeover. It reopened in 2002, but was relocated to Doha, Qatar, in 2021 following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.

Raz's father was killed by the Taliban because he was perceived as too progressive. Despite the Taliban's return to power in 2021, Raz continued in her post, even though the previous Afghan government no longer had control over the country.

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