KABUL. An airplane of the Pakistani company Pia from Islamabad landed at Kabul airport: it is the first international commercial flight to land at the airport of the Afghan capital since the Taliban took control of the country on 15 August.
Scenes of apparent normality in the airport after it was in the center of the world almost two weeks ago following the American retreat ordered by US President Joe Biden.
Last week, the first scheduled international flight from Kabul airport also landed in Doha, Qatar. The flight carried more than 100 foreign nationals and numerous people with dual citizenship: Afghan and a Western country.
It was late August when thousands of Afghans flocked to the gates of Kabul airport to try to flee the country after the Taliban returned to power. In those days – on August 26 – a terrorist attack organized by Isis-K killed over 170 people (including 13 US soldiers) and caused 200 injuries in the crowd massed outside the airport.
The US, in response to what happened, carried out a raid in Afghanistan, in the Nangarhar region, in which they killed one of the minds of Isis-K who was planning future terrorist attacks.
An international UN conference will be held today in Geneva in an attempt to raise more than $ 600 million for the Afghan population. “This morning I landed in Kabul. During my visit, I will assess the country’s humanitarian needs and the plight of 3.5 million displaced Afghans. I am grateful to all the United Nations, NGOs and other humanitarian workers who are working hard on the ground to meet these needs ”. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, tweets it.
This morning I have landed in Kabul.
During my visit I will assess the country’s acute humanitarian needs and the situation of 3.5 million displaced Afghans.
I am grateful to all UN, NGO and other humanitarian workers who are working hard on the ground to meet those needs. pic.twitter.com/8i8FDuVHoa
– Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) September 13, 2021
Even before the Taliban returned to power, half of the Afghan population (about 18 million people) depended on international aid. A figure that, however, seems destined to increase due to drought and the lack of money and food.