In an alarming show of defiance and disregard for diplomatic protocol, Taliban representatives forcibly entered the Afghan Consulate in Bonn on Friday, breaking the gate’s lock and taking control of the mission without any coordination with the German government, reliable sources told Afghanistan International.
The forced entry took place on 3 October a public holiday in Germany when no officials from the Foreign Ministry were on duty. Eyewitnesses said the Taliban envoys stormed the building, overriding formal diplomatic procedures in what observers have described as a brazen attempt to assert control over Afghanistan’s foreign missions abroad.
According to sources, one of the Taliban diplomats was identified as Mustafa Hashimi, while Asif Abdullah, a staffer at the Afghan Embassy in Berlin, entered the premises with four others. The incident followed the collective resignation of the Bonn consulate’s head and staff, who had shut down the mission in protest against Berlin’s decision to recognise Taliban-appointed envoys.
In their resignation letter, the former diplomats condemned Germany’s move as “legitimising an extremist regime that suppresses its own citizens,” and said they refused to hand the consulate over to a group that “rules through fear and coercion.”
Former acting Consul General Hamid Nangialay Kabiri confirmed his resignation in a video message, asserting that the Bonn consulate had safeguarded its independence since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover. He said all consulate documents and assets were being handed to the German Foreign Ministry to prevent their misuse by the Taliban, which he described as an “illegitimate and oppressive entity.”
A video circulated on social media showed German police present as the Taliban envoys broke the lock and entered the compound. Officials have not yet confirmed whether the group will be permitted to occupy the premises.
Germany recently accepted two Taliban-nominated envoys in exchange for cooperation on the deportation of Afghan refugees — a move that has drawn criticism from rights groups who warn that Berlin risks normalising engagement with an unrecognised regime notorious for its repression of women and dissent.
The German Foreign Ministry has yet to comment on the Taliban’s forced occupation of the Bonn consulate or clarify the mission’s diplomatic status. Analysts say the incident reflects the Taliban’s growing attempts to exert control abroad despite their international isolation and ongoing human rights abuses at home.
