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U.S. to open diplomatic post in Afghanistan

By Andrea Koppel
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States' special envoy to Afghanistan will arrive in Kabul Sunday to re-establish the first U.S. diplomatic presence there since 1989, the State Department announced Friday.

James Dobbins will be joined by a small number of other State Department employees and a Marine Security Guard detachment as he takes up the position of director of the U.S. Liaison Office in Kabul.

Dobbins will preside over a flag-raising ceremony scheduled for Sunday at the embassy chancery building. The State Department said other U.S. government officials will attend, along with invited Afghan and foreign guests.

"Afghan Foreign Service National employees will also be part of the ceremony," a State Department press statement said. "These employees endured severe hardship and danger for over a decade to remain at work, maintaining the embassy and related properties around Kabul."

The flag to be raised last flew over the U.S. embassy in Kabul when U.S. personnel withdrew in 1989. The U.S. Liaison office will begin operations Sunday and will deal with the interim government when it assumes power December 22.