Kabul welcomes intl commercial flight under Taliban

KABUL－An international commercial flight left Kabul on Monday, the first since the Taliban retook power last month, offering some hope to Afghans who still want to leave.

The capital's airport was left trashed after Western forces finished their chaotic evacuation of more than 120,000 people, and the Taliban have since scrambled to get it operational with technical assistance from Qatar and other nations.

On Monday morning, a Pakistan International Airlines jet touched down in Kabul, before making a return flight to Islamabad, Pakistan.

The Boeing 777 departed from Islamabad as a commercial flight chartered by the World Bank, carrying officials from the bank and journalists, said airline spokesman Abdullah H. Khan.

Around 70 people were on the flight to the Pakistani capital, mostly Afghans who were relatives of workers with international organizations.

"I am being evacuated. My final destination is Tajikistan," said a 35-year-old World Bank evacuee who did not want to give her name.

The resumption of commercial flights will be a key test for the Taliban rulers, who have repeatedly promised to allow Afghans with the right documents to leave the country freely.

A PIA spokesman said over the weekend that the airline was keen to resume regular commercial services, but it was too soon to say how frequently flights between the two capitals would operate.

"This is a great moment for me after a long time since the change of the establishment in Kabul," said Jawad Zafar, head of operations at PIA.

Qatar Airways ran a chartered flight from Kabul to Doha on Thursday, carrying 113 people.

An Afghan airline resumed domestic services on Sept 3.

Passenger halls, air bridges and technical infrastructure were badly damaged in the days after the Taliban rolled into Kabul on Aug 15, when thousands of people stormed the airport in the hope of fleeing.

Tens of thousands of Afghans fear reprisal for helping foreign powers during the 20-year US-led occupation, but the Taliban insist they have granted general amnesty to everyone, including the security forces they fought against.

Meanwhile, the United Nations was expected to host a high-level donors conference on Monday to drum up emergency funds for Afghanistan.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was leading the organization's call for more than $600 million for the rest of this year in a "flash appeal" for Afghans.

Agencies via Xinhua