The U.S. State Department said it had reopened its embassy in Kabul on Monday (August 05), after it was temporarily closed due to a possible militant threat.

Washington closed 21 of its embassies and consulates on Sunday (August 06) after an al Qaeda threat that lawmakers said was the most serious in years.

While the Kabul embassy reopened, the United States extended embassy closures by a week in a number of embassies in the Middle East and Africa.

The State Department said many of them would have been closed anyway for most of the week due to the Eid celebration at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Despite operations returning to normal in Afghanistan, security in Kabul remained tight near the gate to the U.S embassy.

Diplomatic missions in Algiers and Baghdad were also due to reopen on Monday, Washingtonsaid.

Posts in other countries such as Abu Dhabi, Cairo and Dubai, among others, will be closed until Saturday (August 10).

Presented by Adam Justice