Iran Press/ Asia: The job offer was posted days before staffers were ordered to destroy classified documents and other sensitive materials in preparation for an evacuation from Afghanistan.
In a job posting on the State Department website, the embassy said it was looking for a full-time “public engagement assistant” to offer advice on “media trends, media climate, and dealing with the media on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues.”
It opened for applications on August 7, the same day the embassy urged Americans to leave the country “immediately.”
“The incumbent functions in an extremely sensitive political environment in which an ongoing insurgency adds to the urgency of accurate media reporting to make key security decisions, which requires skill and tact when dealing with contacts, military officials, the Afghan government, media, and civil society representatives,” reads the job posting, which closes for applications on August 19.
“Of special focus are local current affairs, issues concerning bilateral relations between Afghanistan and the United States, and matters concerning Afghanistan’s relationship with its neighbors and the international community.”
The Washington Post and Reuters reported this week that the Taliban could besiege Kabul in the next 30 days and take control in three months. Indeed, the Long War Journal concluded on Friday, “the siege of Kabul may begin any day now.”
“In only 8 days, the Taliban took control of 16 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and conquered 18 of its provincial capitals,” wrote Long War Journal’s Bill Roggio and Andrew Tobin. “This rout of [Afghan security] forces has opened the door for a Taliban siege of Kabul, as the insurgents now firmly control the majority of Afghanistan’s cities and districts, including the strategically and culturally significant Kandahar. With control of Ghazni and Logar provinces, and an uptick in fighting in the east, the road to Kabul is now open.”
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