3rd Qatari plane carrying humanitarian aid lands in Afghanistan

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - A Qatari plane carrying humanitarian aid arrived at Kabul airport in Afghanistan on Tuesday, the third such flight from the Arab country.

Qatar News Agency announced that the shipment contained 25 tons of food, humanitarian aid and medical supplies provided by Qatar Charity in coordination with the Qatar Fund for Development.

It said Qatari humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has reached 68 tons so far.

A team from Qatar arrived in Afghanistan last Wednesday to help the country’s national flag carrier and the airport in the capital resume operations.

Commercial planes of the country’s flag carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines as well as military jets and helicopters at the airport were reportedly damaged by US forces who made an unceremonious exit from Afghanistan.

On Aug. 31, the US announced the completion of its efforts to withdraw all of its forces from Afghanistan, bringing the longest war in American history to an end.

Two weeks before the pullout, the Taliban took over Kabul, sending people into a panic as thousands flocked to the city's airport in an effort to escape the country.

Some 130,000 people, including Americans and Afghans, have been flown out of the country as part of a massive evacuation operation.