Afghan embassy set to close after staff sacked by Taliban

Thousands of Afghans across the UK and Ireland face losing a crucial layer of support as the country’s embassy in London shuts down with staff having been told to apply for political asylum or prepare to leave Britain, Te Independent understands.

- ARPAN RAI

The mission is closing at the end of the month “at the official request” of the British government after the Taliban government dismissed the embassy’s staff for refusing to represent it.

An eight months pregnant Afghan refugee in Dublin fears for her child’s future with the embassy closing. “My child is coming into a world where the mother’s documents are no longer valid and my infant’s nationality is in jeopardy now,” the woman, who asked not to be named, told The Independent.

“My passport has already expired and I will not be allowed to renew it. I cannot go back to Afghanistan, where they are disapproving of any working woman,” she said.

The embassy is staffed by representatives of Afghanistan’s previous regime, which was backed by the west before the Taliban regained power in 2021.