The Taliban has said that many of its embassies in Western countries are still loyal to the country’s former government. Employees in those places have been stuck in limbo for years.

The Taliban government on Tuesday said it was cutting ties with a slew of Afghan embassies in Western countries. The Taliban accused the diplomats there of being loyal to the country’s former democratic government.

The 2021 takeover of Kabul by the Taliban has left many staffing Afghanistan’s foreign missions in limbo. Few governments recognize the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, though it has been able to install some new ambassadors in friendly countries such as Russia and China.