Qatar agrees to represent US interests in Afghanistan

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Gulf nation of Qatar has agreed to represent American interests in Afghanistan following the closure if the U.S. embassy in Kabul in late August. Blinken says Qatar will serve as the “protecting power” for the United States in Taliban-run Afghanistan. The move suggests the Biden administration has little confidence that it will re-open the embassy in the near future. But Blinken says the U.S. hads“offered an opportunity” to leave Afghanistan to all American citizens “who we’ve identified as being prepared to depart, having the necessary travel documents.” The U.S. has numerous protecting power agreements in countries where it does not have diplomatic representation.