The disintegration of U.S. diplomacy came as efforts continued to work toward peace, however tenuous, with a government that would share power with the Taliban.
American diplomats have left Afghanistan, and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul will remain closed, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Monday, after the military announced that it had completed its withdrawal from the country. The disintegration of U.S. diplomacy was a stunning turnabout from plans to stay and help Afghanistan transition away from 20 years of war and work toward peace, however tenuous, with a government that would share power with the Taliban. Earlier this month, Mr. Blinken had pledged that the United States would remain “deeply engaged” in Afghanistan long after the military left. But that mission was largely dashed on Aug.15, when the Taliban advanced into the capital, Kabul, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country and American diplomats to evacuate to a compound secured by the U.S.
