Acting US Assistant Secretary of State Joey Hood said that his country's strategic interests in the Middle East will not be affected by the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, pointing to the need to work with US partners such as Qatar to ensure that Afghanistan lives in peace and does not pose a threat to any party.

Hood added in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, "Make no mistake, Afghanistan is not like the countries of the Middle East. Our strategic interests are what they are, and one of the things we don't talk about much is that the three Abrahamic religions originated in the Middle East. This is important to many Americans and we want this to be enjoyed." Legacy is protected and welcomed in places like Iraq."

The Acting Assistant Secretary of State stressed the need to continue working closely with Washington's partners such as Qatar in order to ensure the stability of the situation in Afghanistan, and so that it does not pose a threat to its neighbors, or to any party in Europe or the United States.

The full interview with the Acting Assistant Secretary of State will be broadcast on the "From Washington" program today, Friday, at 22:05 Mecca time (19:05 GMT).

American appreciation

And the US State Department reported that Secretary Anthony Blinken spoke by phone with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and informed him of Washington’s appreciation for Doha’s help in facilitating the departure of Americans and others from Afghanistan on a Qatar Airways flight yesterday.

Secretary Blinken said in a statement that the evacuation "was the result of the State Department's close interaction with Washington's regional partners, especially Qatar," and added that Washington welcomes the Taliban's facilitation of this trip as part of its commitment to allow anyone who has travel documents and wishes to leave Afghanistan to do so.

In an interview with MSNBC, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Qatar is an important mediator between the United States and the Taliban.

Psaki added that her country is working with Qatar to operate the Kabul airport and to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

Yesterday, Thursday, Hamad International Airport in the Qatari capital, Doha, landed the first international commercial flight from Kabul Airport, since the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan at the end of last month.

On board the Qatar Airways plane, 200 passengers, including Americans and Afghans who hold US green residency cards, in addition to other nationalities, arrived.