Afghanistan: First evacuation flight since US withdrawal lands in Qatar, celebrating Taliban “cooperation”

Kabul’s first civilian evacuation flight since the withdrawal of American troops at the end of August landed this Thursday in Qatar with a hundred passengers on board.

Agency correspondents AFP they saw the plane land at Hamad International Airport in Doha. “About 113” passengers were on board the Boeing 777, including Americans, Canadians, Germans and Ukrainianssaid a source close to the operation. According to this source, they will be hosted in a refugee center in Doha.

Previously, Concurring sources said there were 200 people on the flight.

The special envoy of the Qatari Foreign Ministry in Kabul, Mutlaq al Qahtani, said on Thursday that the first commercial flight had taken off from the Afghan capital to Doha., after the repair work which enabled the airport to be 90% ready and to be able to reopen gradually.

Al Qahtani said that on board the first international commercial flight which was able to take off after the serious imperfections suffered by Hamid Karzai International Airport, local and foreign passengers were traveling, inform the TV channel Al Jazeera.

During a press conference from the same airport, The Qatari envoy added that the airport’s systems are functioning normally and that the flow of international commercial flights will be gradually restored.

After confirmation of the flight’s departure to Qatar, the spokesperson for the United States Department of Homeland Security, Emily Horne, reported that Washington “facilitated the departure of US citizens and permanent residents” on this flight, which operated the airline Qatar Airways.

The United States, which ended the chaotic evacuation of more than 120,000 people on August 30, He praised Thursday the “cooperation” and “flexibility” of the Taliban. “The Taliban have cooperated to facilitate the departure of US citizens and lawful permanent residents on charter flights.” from Kabul airport, the spokesperson for the National Security Council said of the flight to Qatar.

“They have shown flexibility and have been practical and professional with us in this endeavor”, added Horne, who confirmed that the flight landed “safely,” to stress that it was “The result of careful and rigorous diplomacy and compromise.”

The spokesperson pointed out that Efforts to facilitate the evacuations of Americans and Afghans who worked with the US mission will continue.

Precisely this Thursday, sources of the Taliban and foreign technical teams who are deployed in the country to examine the state of the airport had indicated that it could be operational in three days for international flights.

Work carried out by technicians mainly from Qatar and Turkey continues with the help of Afghan engineers at the airport, which suffered serious damage after the departure of American troops on August 31.

Besides, the Taliban have announced that they will allow those with the necessary documents to leave the country.

(With information from AFP and Europa Press)

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