Since the crisis following the Taliban's seizure of power, foreign powers have tried to break the isolation of Kabul airport.

A first commercial flight will connect, from Monday, September 13, Islamabad to Kabul, where an airlift has been activated. 

The United Arab Emirates have opened an "air bridge" to bring humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, an official at Kabul airport told AFP on Saturday (September 11th).

"Since September 3, the UAE government has activated an airlift for humanitarian aid," Ibrahim Moarafi, regional director of the UAE-based company GAAC, responsible for managing the activities of the UAE, told AFP. Kabul airport. 

"Since that day and so far, we have received and managed 11 flights almost daily, or 255 tonnes of medical aid and food products," he said.

On Saturday, two planes from the Emirates unloaded dozens of aid boxes containing meat, powdered milk, oil and medical supplies. 

United Arab Emirates, transit country for fleeing Afghans 

Like other wealthy Gulf states, the Emirates, close allies of the United States, have served as a staging area for evacuation flights of foreigners and Afghans attempting to flee Afghanistan since the Taliban returned on August 15. . 

More than two-thirds of the 120,000 Afghans and foreigners who fled Afghanistan on evacuation flights landed in the Emirates and Qatar before making their way to their final destination.

The Emirates are currently hosting former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in exile after the Taliban took power. 

The Emirates are, moreover, one of the few countries to have recognized the power of the Taliban between 1996 and 2001. The latter were driven out by the invasion of the United States and their allies after the attacks of September 11, fomented. from Afghanistan.

"73 requests" to get to Kabul 

A step towards economic normalization was also taken on Saturday, with the announcement by the Pakistani national company PIA of the resumption on Monday of its commercial flights from Islamabad to Kabul, which were interrupted just after August 15.

"We have all the technical authorizations for air operations," Abdullah Hafeez Khan, a spokesperson for the company, told AFP.

"Our first Airbus A320 commercial aircraft will take off from Islamabad for Kabul on September 13," he added. 

"At this point, we have received 73 requests" from interested passengers, "which is very encouraging," he added, adding that there were many requests from aid organizations and journalists wishing to travel to Kabul.

A first international passenger flight - but not commercial - took off from Kabul on Thursday, followed by another, operated by Qatar Airways, on Friday, with 158 passengers on board, including Americans, Germans, Canadians, French , Dutch, Belgians and Mauritians. 

With AFP

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR