Bruno Kahl, Germany’s President of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), says his organization is collecting information from Afghanistan, which will aid the German federal government in deciding how to engage with the Islamic Emirate.

In an interview with DW, Kahl said: “This is a question for politicians to answer. As an intelligence service, our duty is to gather critical information so the federal government can make informed decisions, and that is exactly what we are doing in Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, the deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate Hamdullah Fitrat said that Afghanistan and Germany have historically maintained good relations and now seek to preserve these ties to secure the interests of both countries.

“Afghanistan wants good relations with all countries, including Germany, with whom we have a strong historical relationship. Afghanistan desires to maintain this relation with Germany,” he said.

This comes after Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry declared visas and documents issued by over ten Afghan embassies and diplomatic missions in Europe invalid. However, the consular documents from Afghanistan’s consulate in Munich, Germany, remain valid.