First Flight of Foreign Nationals from Kabul Since Taliban Takeover
For the first time since the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan, over 100 foreign nationals arrived in Doha on a flight from Kabul Airport. It is hoped that these flights will continue. According to the United States, the Taliban have demonstrated cooperation.
Approximately 113 citizens of the United States, Germany, and Afghanistan, most of whom hold dual citizenship, landed at Doha Airport, the capital of Qatar. This is the first flight since the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan.
According to a report from the Washington Post, the passenger list of the Qatar Airways flight included 211 Afghan dual citizens, as well as individuals with passports from Germany, the United States, Canada, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Ukraine. However, so far only the departure of approximately 113 passengers has been reported. French news agency AFP also reported on Thursday from a source in Doha that around 200 foreigners are leaving Kabul bound for Doha.
Among the passengers who arrived in Qatar are 15 German citizens. It is expected that another group will be able to travel from Afghanistan to Doha on Friday.
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry stated that this flight was made possible with the help of the Qatari government, and most of the passengers are women and children. According to him, this opportunity emerged unexpectedly. Germany is working to arrange other flights in the coming days and to inform individuals who need to leave.
The U.S. National Security Council announced that the Taliban have demonstrated cooperation in this operation. Mutlaq Al-Qahtani, Qatar’s special envoy for Afghan affairs, called this a “historic day” and an important step toward “reopening Kabul Airport for international flights.”
He also expressed hope that another flight would take place on Friday. Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, air transportation at Kabul Airport and evacuation flights for citizens wanting to leave Afghanistan have been suspended.
During the weeks leading up to the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan, approximately 123,000 people left Afghanistan from Kabul Airport. However, many interpreters and other local staff of foreign forces were unable to leave the country, and many of them are now concerned about Taliban retaliation measures.
Source: DW
