Qatar hopes for Afghan airport aid corridors within 48 hrs: Official

Qatar hopes to see the establishment of humanitarian aid corridors at Afghan airports within 48 hours, Doha’s envoy to Afghanistan told media on Friday.

The Gulf nation has worked with the Taliban to quickly reopen Kabul’s airport, whose closure since the departure of US troops threatens major strategic and humanitarian challenges.

“We hope in the next 24 or 48 hours to see the opening of humanitarian corridors so humanitarian aid can enter through Kabul airport — and other functioning airports,” Mutlaq Al-Qahtani said.

A jet from the Gulf country was the first foreign aircraft to land in the Afghan capital on Wednesday since frenzied evacuations ended a day earlier with the American withdrawal.

A flight from Doha then landed in Kabul on Thursday, carrying experts who were to examine security and operational aspects pertaining to the airport, according to a source close to the matter.

Doha, a major transit point for Afghan refugees, has said it was working hard to swiftly resume operations.

On humanitarian aid, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Friday the bloc would look to step up its help for the Afghan people but would judge the authorities “according to the access they provide.”