First flight arrives at Kabul as Qatar sends 'technical team'

Qatar on Wednesday night sent an aircraft to Kabul with a technical team onboard to restart operations after US exit from Afghanistan.

The plane arrived at Kabul airport to reportedly start operations. It is the first flight to arrive at the airport ever since US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Taliban has taken control over Hamid Karzai international airport after US military evacuation on Monday night. The US military had destroyed several aircraft, C-Ram defence system and helicopters before folding up the evacuation operation. 

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Reports claimed the Qatar flights will deal with humanitarian aid needed for Afghans and also help in evacuation efforts. Reports claimed the Taliban had asked Qatar to "officially" manage Kabul airport.

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At least 123,000 foreign nationals including thousands of Afghans have already left the country. There has been no official agreement with the Qatari government and Taliban, reports say.

US officials had said Kabul airport is in a bad condition after the chaotic evacuation effort.

Amid the evacuation effort, ISIS-K had carried out a suicide attack in which 13 US service members were killed including several Afghans further hampering US efforts during the evacuation.

Qatar has actively hosted negotiations between the Taliban and the United States in recent years and was a key transit point during the US evacuation.

(With inputs from Agencies)