First international commercial flight leaves Kabul since US troop pullout: Qatar's FM

A Qatari security personnel member stands guard near a Qatar Airways aircraft at the airport in Kabul on Thursday.

The first commercial international flight out of Afghanistan since the US-led evacuation operations ended last week departed from Kabul airport on Thursday. 

The first international commercial flight to leave Afghanistan since the withdrawal of US troops departed on Thursday, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Reuters has reported.

The airport “has been tested and operationalised in the past few days”, Sheikh Mohammed said in Islamabad. “We managed to fly the first plane with passengers just an hour ago,” he said, thanking the Taliban for helping reopen the airport.

A large group of foreigners were aboard the Doha-bound flight, Al Jazeera television reported. The Qatar Airways plane had arrived in Kabul earlier on Thursday carrying aid, it said.

The flight carrying US citizens and other lawful permanent residents safely landed in Qatar after leaving Afghanistan with the Taliban’s cooperation, the White House’s National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday, saying such evacuation efforts would continue.

“The Taliban have been cooperative in facilitating the departure of American citizens and lawful permanent residents on charter flights They have shown flexibility, and they have been businesslike and professional in our dealings with them in this effort. This is a positive first step,” NSC spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement.