RASC News Agency: A day before the arrival of a U.S. delegation in Afghanistan, the Taliban erased anti-American slogans and the Islamic creed “La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah” from the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Sources in Kabul confirmed to RASC that Taliban operatives repainted the embassy walls on Thursday, scrubbing away religious inscriptions and the word “Shahada” that had been prominently displayed. According to one insider, before the American delegation’s arrival, the walls of the embassy bore the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” logo along with anti-American slogans. One inscription read, “With divine victory, our nation has defeated America.” However, just before the visit, the Taliban swiftly removed all such markings.
Following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban had plastered anti-American slogans across the city, including on the U.S. Embassy’s walls. Since then, the embassy has remained shut, with Washington opting for indirect engagement through Qatar to manage its strategic interests in Afghanistan. On Friday, marking the first official U.S. diplomatic visit since the Taliban’s return to power, a high-level delegation led by Adam Boehler, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, arrived in Kabul. The delegation also included Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. envoy for Afghanistani affairs.
During initial talks, the delegation met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and other senior officials. As a gesture of goodwill, the Taliban released an American prisoner, reportedly in response to diplomatic overtures from Donald Trump’s administration. The American delegation described the meeting as constructive, signaling a potential continuation of diplomatic engagements in the future.
