Sleepless nights for past 2 weeks: Qatar's Assistant FM on Afghanistan evacuation efforts

As the evacuation operations inch closer to the August 31 deadline in Afghanistan, Qatar has a significant role to play after the US pullout from the war-ravaged country. Qatar has been facilitating global evacuation efforts since the Taliban took over Kabul on Sunday, August 15. According to AP, the Qatar government has ties with the Taliban and United States and now the Qatar administration has been asked to assist in deciding about the future of Afghanistan. On August 30, the US plans to host a virtual ministerial meeting with key partners in Afghanistan.

Role of Qatar after US pullout from Afghanistan

The meeting hosted by the US will include France, Germany, Qatar, Canada, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, the European Union and NATO. The leaders of the respective nations will discuss the approach for the days and weeks ahead in the war-torn country. As the US completes its military withdrawal on August 31, the Taliban has reportedly asked Qatar to provide civilian technical assistance at Kabul Airport, according to AP. The Qatar authorities have not responded to the reports suggesting any such development.

According to AP, about 40 per cent of all the people evacuated from the war-torn country moved out via Qatar. It is reported that in order to move out their staff, media organisations also took help from Qatar. Speaking to The Associated Press, the Assistant Qatar Foreign Minister Lolwa al-Khater informed that they were having sleepless nights for the past two weeks and refuted claims that they were doing it only for political gains. Al-Khater further added that Qatar airlifted about 1500 people from Afghanistan and provided safe passage to approximately 3000 people.

"If anyone assumes that it’s only about political gains, believe me, there are ways to do PR that are way easier than risking our people there on the ground, way easier than us having sleepless nights literally for the past two weeks, way less complicated than spending our time looking after every kid and every pregnant woman", Al-Khater told The Associated Press.

Earlier on August 28, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken 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 US in evacuating its citizens from Afghanistan. It is pertinent to mention that on August 20, US President Joe Biden lauded Qatar’s "generous support" for the ongoing evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan. The President also thanked Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for the important role Qatar has played to "facilitate intra-Afghanistan talks". 

IMAGE: AP

(With Inputs from AP)