U.S. Urges Afghanistan To Reverse Ruling On U.S. Reporter

New York Times correspondent Matthew Rosenberg speaks during an interview with an AFP reporter at the New York Times office in Kabul, August 20, 2014.

The United States has urged Afghanistan to reverse a decision to deport a U.S. reporter.

Afghanistan's Attorney General's Office said on August 20 that Matthew Rosenberg had 24 hours to leave the country, accusing him of not cooperating with an investigation into his reporting for "The New York Times."

Rosenberg had been summoned to the Attorney General's Office on August 19 for questioning after "The New York Times" ran his story about officials discussing plans to form an interim government if a deadlock over the presidential election failed to break soon.

Rosenberg said he and his newspaper had been cooperating fully.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the Afghan government's move was a "significant step backward for the freedom of the press in Afghanistan and should be reversed immediately."

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP