Qatar to stop operating Kabul airport if no ‘clear’ deal is reached with Taliban

Qatar will stop operating if there is no ‘clear’ agreement with the Taliban about the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul. Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said.

Qatar has been a key player in the Afghan dossier since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. The Gulf state also helped the Taliban get Kabul airport back up and running.

But “we have to make sure that everything is laid down in a clear way, otherwise, we will not be able to take responsibility for the airport,” said the Qatari minister.

Airline Ariana Afghan Airlines resumed domestic flights about ten days ago, between Kabul and some provincial capitals.

The first international commercial flight landed in Kabul on Monday since the Taliban took power on August 15. That was a plane of the Pakistani company PIA, originating from Islamabad, the capital of neighboring Pakistan.