Qatar negotiates with the Taliban to reopen Kabul airport

Kabul airport is of crucial importance for transporting the medical and humanitarian support that the country needs more than ever, a few days after the departure of the last American troops and the end of a war that will have lasted twenty years. Qatar said Thursday, September 2, to work with the Taliban to reopen the site. “We remain confident in the possibility of managing operations as soon as possible”, declared the head of the Qatari diplomacy, Mohammed Ben Abderrahmane Al Thani, during a press conference in Doha, while specifying that“No deal” had not yet been concluded on this issue.

“We are still at the evaluation stage. There is no clear indication of when it will be fully operational, but we are working hard ”added the Qatari minister, whose country has close ties to the Islamist Taliban movement which seized power in Kabul on August 15.

“It is very important that the Taliban demonstrate their commitment to provide a safe passage [pour sortir du pays] and freedom of movement for the Afghan people ” he continued, adding that the discussions also included Turkey, “If it can provide technical assistance at this stage”. “We hope to have good news in the coming days”, said the minister.

Qatar, which sent a Boeing C-17A Globemaster to Kabul on Wednesday, is currently at the heart of the international community for its ability to communicate with the new masters of Kabul. This rich Gulf country had, moreover, played the role of mediator in the peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban before the seizure of power by the Islamists.

Expectation of the first government

The Taliban celebrated their victory in Afghanistan on Tuesday the day after the departure of the last American soldiers. This withdrawal put an end to twenty years of a war started by the intervention of an international coalition led by the United States to oust the Taliban from power, in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks perpetrated on American soil. The return of the Islamists to power forced the West to evacuate in haste their nationals and Afghans likely to be targeted by reprisals on behalf of the Taliban, in particular for having worked for the foreign forces.

The Taliban are set to announce the formation of their new government, which should not include women, a prospect that dozens of Afghan women protested against on Thursday, illustrating the challenges power will face.

According to Taliban sources, the new masters of the country could announce the composition of their government just after the prayer on Friday. Afghans and the world are eagerly awaiting the makeup of this government, which the Taliban has repeatedly promised will be. “Inclusive”.

The deputy head of their political office in Qatar, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, renewed this promise on Wednesday in an interview with the BBC. But he also hinted that he “Might not be” women appointed ministers or to positions of responsibility, but only at lower levels.

Pariahs when they first came to power, between 1996 and 2001, the Taliban were observed by the international community, which kept in mind the brutality of their regime at the time. Their strict application of Sharia, Islamic law, had notably resulted in the gradual disappearance of women from public space and the persecution of opponents.

Women demonstrate for their rights

About fifty women took to the streets of Herat, the cosmopolitan capital of western Afghanistan, on Thursday to claim their right to work and demand the participation of women in the new executive. “It is our right to have an education, work and safetythe demonstrators sang in unison. We are not afraid, we are united. “

“Talks are underway to form a government, but they do not talk about the participation of women, regretted Basira Taheri, one of the organizers of the event. We want the Taliban to consult with us. We will continue our demonstrations, they started in Herat, they will soon extend to other provinces. “

This kind of public expression of discontent is new to the Taliban, who ruthlessly suppressed any dissent during their previous regime. This shows that they will have to adapt to an Afghan society that has become in twenty years more liberal and more open to the outside world.

Among the 123,000 people, Afghans and foreigners, who fled Afghanistan in recent weeks thanks to an airlift organized by the West, was the first Afghan woman journalist to interview a Taliban official live on television. A presenter on the country’s private television channel Tolo News, Beheshta Arghand fled to Qatar fearing for her life as the Islamists took control of the country. “I want to say to the international community: please do something for the Afghan women”, she said on Wednesday.

The Taliban have tried for several weeks to present a more moderate and open face, ensuring that women’s rights would be respected. In particular, they announced that they could study at university, but in single-sex classes, and recently called on women health workers to return to work. But, for now, these statements are struggling to convince.