France, Italy, Britain to Pull Envoys From Kabul

Three nations announced Friday they will follow the U.S. decision to pull its diplomats out of Afghanistan.

France, Italy and Britain made separate announcements of their intentions to leave Kabul. Japan made a similar announcement earlier Friday.

The Afghan government responded by criticizing the closings, with the Soviet news agency Tass reporting that the decisions reflect an attempt to undermine international confidence in the Soviet-backed government.

Italy said it will temporarily close its embassy in Kabul as soon as an Italian journalist seriously injured in Afghanistan can leave, a Foreign Ministry official said in Rome.

Tass, in a dispatch from Kabul, quoted an Afghan Foreign Ministry statement charging that the closure of embassies on security grounds in view of the imminent departure of Soviet troops is unjustified.

It said the Afghan army “is successfully defending the cities and provinces from where Soviet troops have already left.”

“Therefore, the decisions of Western states can only be assessed as an attempt to sap the trust of international public opinion in the ability of the state authorities to defend the city from extremists.”

Tass also reported that a child was killed and several buildings damaged in a rocket attack on the Afghan capital Friday. It said five rockets hit the city, one destroying a school.

Meanwhile, Soviet Defense Minister Dmitri T. Yazov flew in on a previously unannounced visit, less than three weeks before the last of his troops are due to leave the country.

A Soviet Embassy official said Yazov immediately went into conference with President Najibullah, but he could give no further details.

Not all diplomats are happy at the prospect of recall.

“People talk rubbish,” one French envoy commented. “It’s beautiful weather. There are no rockets. It’s very quiet now. Kabul is like the French Riviera. I feel on vacation here.”