Taliban special forces guarding Kabul Airport, commercial flights yet to resume

The Taliban has deployed special forces soldiers at the Kabul international airport to ensure safety and security following its takeover on Aug 31 after the last batch of U.S. troops left Afghanistan. The special forces soldiers, all well-armed, have reportedly undergone comprehensive training in special operations.

“These soldiers received training on various fields, including combat skills, special operations, as well as patrolling and inspection missions at checkpoints,” said a special forces soldier. “We are confident in terms of ensuring the safety of Afghan people. We are well-prepared to protect our people across the country,” said another soldier.

A lot of equipment at the Kabul international airport that could have been used to keep the airport running was destroyed by U.S. military personnel. Armored vehicles, furniture, helicopters, cargo planes, hangers, halls, control tower and even power generators were seen left in ruins at the airport.

Efforts have been made to resume commercial flights. Qatar on Wednesday sent an expert team to help fix the damaged infrastructure and resume some of the functions of the airport so that humanitarian supplies can be delivered to Afghanistan via flights.

A United Arab Emirates (UAE) plane loaded with 60 tons of food supplies landed in Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Friday, the first cargo flight into the airport since Tuesday when the U.S. forces finished pullout from Afghanistan and evacuated the airport, Tolo News TV reported. Ahmadullah Wasik, deputy head of the Taliban Cultural Commission, said there were senior UAE officials on the plane.

Domestic flights were set to resume on Friday, however, no commercial flights were reported departing or landing at the Kabul international airport.