Antony Blinken thanks Qatar Deputy PM for supporting US evacuation process in Afghanistan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Saturday, informed that he has discussed the evacuation process in Afghanistan with Qatar's deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Blinken thanked Al Thani "for Qatar's continued support to transit US citizens." Blinken said that Qatar has gone above and beyond to help the USA in evacuating its citizens from Afghanistan. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanks Qatar officials.

The US Secretary of State informed that during his call with the Qatari deputy prime minister, he had thanked him for the country's continued support to transit US citizens.   

Earlier, on Friday, US Secretary of State Blinken held discussions with Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Eriksen Søreide regarding the "security situation in Kabul." 

USA's Afghan evacuation

The White House, on Friday, tweeted the updated figure of what it called one of the "most difficult and largest airlifts ever conducted in history." The White House informed about the evacuation of approximately 12,500 people from Afghanistan despite a terrorist attack near the Kabul airport, on Thursday. 

The US also said it will go ahead with its plan to conclude its Afghanistan mission by 31 August, even as the evacuation effort, which is now in its "retrograde period", is facing an "ongoing and acute threat" from ISIS-K.  The 31 August deadline has been agreed upon by the USA and the Taliban for America's pullout from the war-torn country. “The threat is ongoing and it is active. Our troops are still in danger. That continues to be the case every day that they are there. This is the most dangerous part of the mission," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily press briefing, on Friday.

US to handover Kabul Airport to 'Afghan people'

The USA also plans to hand over the Kabul airport to the "Afghan people," after their exit. In a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that "upon our departure, we will transfer the Kabul airport back to the Afghan people." Earlier, a Taliban spokesperson had said that the group continue to control parts of Kabul airport.