The Embassy of Afghanistan in the diplomatic quarter of Washington, D.C. is a red brick building

surrounded by a high red brick wall. When we arrived there earlier this week, an enormous

flag flapped in the breeze over our heads, not the Taliban flag that flies these days

over Kabul, but the red, black, and green flag of Afghanistan.

Good morning, Mr. Nizami.

We were there to talk to political counselor Fawad Nizami. He let us inside, passed a portrait

of the man that the U.S. now calls former President Ashraf Gunni. It's still hanging there

right on the wall. Nizami told us the Embassy has enough money to keep the lights on for

now, but he'd had no official contact with colleagues back in Afghanistan since the day

that Kabul fell.

Nizami has worked at the Embassy since 2019. His wife, his kids are here in the U.S.

too. At their home on the Monday morning after Kabul fell, Nizami was getting dressed

for work. He went to grab his usual attire, a suit and tie.

I love to wear tie and I wore tie 13 years of serving Minister Afu'an Afers. It gives

me the sense that I'm serving for a country, for the Republic of Afghanistan. I'm representing

people of Afghanistan, proudly representing.

But that morning, as Nizami stared at the ties and his closet, it was all suddenly too

much.

I saw my ties and, to be honest, I got really emotional. I couldn't control myself. I

stopped crying. And Afghanistan culturally, it's not good for men to cry. We have a

say that may never cry.

Nizami realized he was dressing to serve a government that no longer existed. And a country

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