Taliban say they will allow civilian flights after evacuation ends
Kabul, Aug 25 (EFE).- The Taliban said Wednesday that they will allow commercial flights to operate in the country after the deadline for international evacuations ends on Aug.31.
The completion of the evacuation process “will pave the way for resumption of civilian flights. People with legal documents can travel through commercials flights after 31 August,” tweeted the spokesperson of the Taliban’s political office, Suhail Shaheen.
This guarantee was given by the deputy director of the political office of the insurgent movement in Qatar, M. Abbas Stanikzai, after a meeting with Germany’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Markus Potzel, the spokesperson added.
The meeting, held Tuesday, was aimed at discussing the political issues in the country and the situation at Kabul airport, where chaos has unfolded with thousands of people trying to flee after the insurgents captured the capital on Aug.15.
According to the Taliban spokesperson, Germany emphasized on “continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and added that suspended development projects will also be resumed after normalization of situation.”
However, he did not specify how Berlin will continue to support Afghan citizens with the insurgents having taken over the reins of the country.
It also remains unclear whether international funding will continue from the countries that drove Afghanistan’s reconstruction after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.
The Taliban have been adamant in their refusal to extend the Aug.31 deadline for foreign troops to leave Kabul international airport, where the latter have been working against the clock to get their citizens as well as many Afghans out of danger.
Moreover, the Taliban announced Tuesday that Afghan nationals will not be able to access the airport, presenting a roadblock to plans of evacuating thousands of people deemed vulnerable under the new regime by the Islamist militia. EFE
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