Embassy of the United States, Kabul

Embassy of the United States, Kabul
Native name
Persian: سفارت ایالات متحده آمریکا در کابل‎


Chancery Building as seen from its plaza
Location Afghanistan Kabul, Afghanistan
Coordinates 34°32′05″N 69°11′24″E / 34.534722°N 69.19°ECoordinates: 34°32′05″N 69°11′24″E / 34.534722°N 69.19°E
Opened 2006
Ambassador P. Michael McKinley (since December 9, 2014)
Location of Embassy of the United States, Kabul in Afghanistan

The Embassy of the United States of America in Kabul is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The embassy complex is located on Great Massoud Road in the Wazir Akbar Khan section of the Afghan capital, Kabul, and is home to the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. The Embassies of Finland and South Korea are located behind this complex and the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is located across the street.

History

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul was elevated in May 1948 from the U.S. Kabul Legation. Louis Goethe Dreyfus, who previously served as Minister Plenipotentiary from 1940 to 1942, became the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan from 1949 to 1951.[1] It was closed in 1989, before the start of the long civil war followed by the Taliban takeover. The embassy re-opened after the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2001 and was under construction until early 2006, when U.S. President George W. Bush along with Afghan President Hamid Karzai held an inauguration ceremony. The U.S. State Department is spending another $500 million to further expand its premises, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014.[2] However, the U.S. State Department extended the completion date to July 2016.[3]

September 2011 Kabul attacks

Heavily armed Taliban insurgents[4] wearing suicide vests struck various buildings in Kabul on 13 September 2011, and at least 7 people were killed and 19 wounded. The U.S. embassy was also targeted but Kerri Hannan, a spokeswoman for the embassy, told the media that no embassy personnel had been hurt in the incident, although several Afghan visa applicants who were waiting at the embassy were wounded.[5] The United States blamed Pakistan's government, mainly Pakistani Army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy network as the masterminds behind the attack.[6] U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, told Radio Pakistan that "The attack that took place in Kabul a few days ago, that was the work of the Haqqani network. There is evidence linking the Haqqani Network to the Pakistan government. This is something that must stop."[7] Other top U.S. officials such as Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta made similar statements.[6][8]

"In choosing to use violent extremism as an instrument of policy, the government of Pakistan, and most especially the Pakistani army and ISI, jeopardizes not only the prospect of our strategic partnership but Pakistan's opportunity to be a respected nation with legitimate regional influence. They may believe that by using these proxies, they are hedging their bets or redressing what they feel is an imbalance in regional power. But in reality, they have already lost that bet."[9]

Another deadly attack occurred later the same month.[10]

April 15, 2012 attacks

As part of a nationwide series of coordinated attacks, Taliban elements attacked the embassy on April 15, 2012. The attack was defeated by Afghan security forces. Gen John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, stated he was "enormously proud" of the response mounted by Afghan security forces. He added: "No one is underestimating the seriousness of the attacks, and we'll work hard to determine the circumstances that led to today's events." [11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About the Embassy". U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  2. ↑ "U.S. To Spend $500 Million On Kabul Embassy". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). November 4, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  3. ↑ "Kabul Embassy Construction Costs Have Increased and Schedules Have Been Extended". GAO. July 8, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ Holehouse, Matthew (13 Sep 2011). "Kabul US embassy attack: September 13 as it happened". telegraph.co.uk.
  5. ↑ RUBIN, ALISSA (nytimes.com). "U.S. Embassy and NATO Headquarters Attacked in Kabul". nytimes.com. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "U.S. blames Pakistan agency in Kabul attack". Reuters. September 22, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  7. ↑ "U.S. links Pakistan to group it blames for Kabul attack". Reuters. September 17, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Clinton Presses Pakistan to Help Fight Haqqani Insurgent Group". Fox News. September 18, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Pakistan condemns US comments about spy agency". Associated Press. September 23, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  10. ↑ NYT: September 26, 2011, attack
  11. ↑ Taliban launches largest attack on Kabul in 11 years. The Guardian.

External links

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