Expelled diplomats fly out of Afghanistan

One Irish and one British diplomat expelled from Afghanistan after they were accused of talking to the Taliban have now left the country, it was confirmed today.Sources in the capital, Kabul, said the pair flew out on the same plane early this morning after two days of negotiations failed to prevent them being thrown out.
Irishman Michael Semple, deputy head of the EU mission in Kabul, and Mervyn Patterson, a senior UN official, understood to be from Belfast, visited Musa Qala in Helmand province on Monday. The pair spoke to local leaders on the ground in the town which was recaptured by British and Afghan troops earlier this month.