Afghan diplomats have no money, seeking refuge abroad

After the Taliban.s return to power has left hundreds of Afghan diplomats overseas in limbo: running out of money to keep missions operating, fearful for families back home and desperate to secure refuge abroad. According Reuters report  eight embassy staff  in countries including Canada, Germany and Japan, described dysfunction and despair at their missions. "I am literally begging Diplomats are willing to become refugees," he said, adding he would have to sell everything, including a large house in Kabul, and "start all over again", said one diplomat. One senior Afghan diplomat estimated there were around 3,000 people either working in the country's embassies or directly dependent on them.

Afghanistan's missions overseas face a period of "prolonged limbo" as countries decide whether to recognise the Taliban, said Afzal Ashraf, an international relations expert and visiting fellow at Britain's University of Nottingham. "What can those embassies do? They don't represent a government. They don't have a policy to implement," he said, adding that embassy staff would likely be granted political asylum due to safety concerns if they returned to Afghanistan. Meanwhile,  a group of envoys from the deposed government issued a first-of-its-kind joint statement, reported by Reuters on Wednesday ahead of its public release, calling on world leaders to deny the Taliban formal recognition.