Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has urged the Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) to allow foreign security presence at the Kabul airport so that commercial flights could safely resume
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2021) Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has urged the Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) to allow foreign security presence at the Kabul airport so that commercial flights could safely resume.
"What is a clear [Taliban] objection is that they don't want to see a foreign security presence in their airport or their territory. What we are trying to explain to them is that airport safety and security requires a lot more than securing the perimeters of the airport," the minister told Financial Times in an interview, published on Monday.
After the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in mid-August, the Kabul airport became the center of rapid evacuations carried out by several countries, who have elected to evacuate their citizens, diplomatic missions, and associated Afghan nationals from the militant-controlled nation.
After the United States completed troop withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, the Taliban indicated they would reopen the airport to civilian air traffic.
The radical group is reportedly in talks with Turkey and Qatar on technical assistance in operating the airport. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed receiving such a request, but criticized the Taliban's proposal for Ankara to manage the airport, while leaving security issues to themselves.
