Taiwan said on Monday it had terminated diplomatic relations with Gambia, after the West African nation's move to cut ties shocked Taipei and left it with a dwindling number of foreign allies. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh caught Taiwan unawares Thursday when he said his government had broken off diplomatic ties after 18 years owing to "strategic national interest". Expressing "shock and regret" at the decision, Taipei sent two senior diplomats to Gambia in an attempt to rescue the relationship, but their request to meet Jammeh was twice rejected, foreign ministry officials said. "From Monday on, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) terminated its diplomatic ties with Gambia, evacuated the embassy and agricultural technicians and suspended all cooperative projects," Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement.