Qatar demands clear agreements with Taliban to continue operating Kabul airport
- Doha has become a key broker in Afghanistan following last month’s withdrawal of US forces, helping evacuate thousands of foreigners and Afghans
- Kabul’s airport was ransacked after US-led forces finished a chaotic evacuation of more than 120,000 people, and the Taliban has since scrambled to resume operations
Qatar on Tuesday warned it would not take responsibility for Kabul airport without “clear” agreements with all involved, including the Taliban, about its operations.
“We need to make sure that everything is addressed very clearly otherwise … we are not able to take any responsibility of the airport [if] all these things are not addressed,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said at a press briefing.
“Right now the status is still [under] negotiation because we need to have an agreement that’s clear for everyone for all the parties and who is going to take care of the technical [side], who’s going to take care of the security aspects.
“There is a possibility for collaboration with other countries if needed, but until now the discussion is only among us and Turkey and the Taliban.”
Since the US pull-out, Qatar Airways planes have made several trips to Kabul, flying in aid and Doha’s representatives and ferrying out foreign passport holders.