A British embassy in Kabul was re-established following the 2001 United States invasion of Afghanistan. The British government began negotiations to purchase the former legation compound but failed to reach an agreement with Pakistan. The Pakistani embassy was reopened in the former minister's residence of the legation compound in 2012. The British government secured a new site in the city's Wazir Akbar Khan District, which became a secure zone with offices for many Afghan and foreign institutions. The British embassy is located close to the edge of the secure zone. Newly arrived embassy staff were surprised to find that the pre-1989 ambassadorial china, crystal and silver were safe, having been kept secure by two former embassy caretakers.