Qatari Foreign Minister visits Afghanistan and four UN planes arrive at Kabul Airport for the first time after operating

Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited the Afghan capital, Kabul. The Qatari Foreign Minister met with Afghan Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund

Al-Jazeera correspondent Ihab Al-Aqdi said that the Qatari minister's visit is the highest for an international official since the withdrawal of US forces at the end of last month, and the announcement of the interim government in Afghanistan a few days ago.

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He added that the Qatari foreign minister met, during his visit, a number of officials in the new government, including its president, deputy and foreign minister, who was received at Kabul Airport.

He added that no statement has yet been issued by Afghan officials about the nature of the visit, noting that they discussed the current political situation in the country, and the efforts Qatar is currently making to support the Afghan people in the current circumstances.

This visit comes after a tour of the Qatari official, which led him to several countries, namely Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Russia, which focused on the Afghan file.

Yesterday, Saturday, the Qatari Foreign Minister held talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, focusing on the situation in Afghanistan.

In statements after talks with his Russian counterpart, he said that humanitarian aid to Afghanistan should be independent of any political developments. He stressed that the Taliban should coordinate to secure the exit of those who wish to leave Afghanistan.

UN planes in Kabul

Four WFP planes carrying WFP teams have arrived at Kabul airport, returning to Afghanistan.

Sources in the United Nations told Aj news that the World Food Program will resume work in distributing humanitarian aid in several cities in Afghanistan.

Correspondent Hamdi al-Bakari at the airport stated that the planes belonging to the United Nations World Food Program came from Islamabad, and one headed to Kandahar and the other to Mazar-i-Sharif.

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These flights are the first of their kind to carry United Nations teams, after the airport was restarted by the Qatari technical support teams, and the gradual resumption of work in it.

The reporter quoted an official in the World Food Program as saying that about 15 million Afghans are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Twelve Afghan female employees, out of 80, returned to work at Kabul International Airport, less than a month after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

The women working at the airport are among the few Afghan women who have been allowed to return to work, after the Taliban banned most working women from returning to their jobs until further notice.

Yesterday, Saturday, the airport witnessed a number of domestic flights between Kabul and a number of Afghan cities.

Pakistan Airlines announced yesterday that it will launch commercial flights to the Afghan capital from Monday.

In the State of Qatar, Hamad International Airport received last night a Qatar Airways plane, on the second commercial flight to arrive from Kabul within 24 hours.

Several countries - between the United States, France and Germany - thanked the State of Qatar for its efforts in operating international flights from Kabul Airport.

Police deployment

And the Afghan police returned to the deployment at checkpoints in the vicinity of Kabul Airport along with forces affiliated with the Taliban movement, for the first time since the Islamic movement took control of the country, according to two policemen on Sunday.

The police withdrew from their positions, fearing the reaction of the Islamic movement when the Taliban invaded Kabul last month and toppled the government. But two members of the security apparatus said they returned to work on Saturday after receiving calls from Taliban leaders.

The Taliban says it granted a general amnesty to everyone who worked in the previous government, including the army, police and other security services.

Taliban officials indicate that they want to integrate the other forces, but they have not explained how this will happen or how they will deal with a security apparatus of about 600,000 members.

Kabul Airport was severely damaged during the evacuation of more than 120,000 people, which was overshadowed by chaos and ended with the withdrawal of US forces on August 30.

Qatar Airways has operated flights from Kabul in recent days, mostly carrying foreigners and Afghans who were not taken during the recent evacuations.