US suspends diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, moves mission to Qatar

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks following talks on the situation in Afghanistan, at the State Department in Washington, DC.

The United States has suspended its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and will conduct its operations out of Qatar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, adding Washington will press ahead with its "relentless" efforts to help people leave the country, even after its troops have pulled out. Blinken’s statement comes after the departure of the last US plane, leaving behind thousands of Afghans who helped Western countries and might have qualified for evacuation. The operation came to an end before the Tuesday deadline set by President Joe Biden, who has drawn heavy criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for his handling of Afghanistan since the Taliban made rapid advances and took over Kabul earlier this month. In his remarks, after which he ignored shouted questions from reporters, Blinken said Washington would conduct its Afghanistan diplomacy including consular work and administering humanitarian assistance out of Qatar's capital Doha, with a team headed by Ian McCary, the deputy chief of the US mission to Afghanistan.