Taliban in talks with Qatar, Turkey to manage Kabul airport after US withdraws

The Taliban are in talks with Qatar and Turkey about the management of Kabul airport as it lacks air traffic control services.

This comes in after the United States military has completely withdrawn from Afghanistan.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a statement saying, "due to both the lack of air traffic services and a functional civil aviation authority in Afghanistan, as well as ongoing security concerns, UScivil operators, pilots, and US-registered civil aircraft are prohibited from operating at any altitude over much of Afghanistan."

The talks are aimed at securing the airport as soon as possible so that people who want to leave Afghanistan can do so using commercial flights, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

“The Security Council resolution about securing the airport must be implemented. There are talks under way with the Qataris and Turks about management of the airport. We must demand that access to the airport is safe,” Le Drian said on France 2 television.

The FAA has said that the US civil operators “may continue to use one high-altitude jet route near the far eastern border for overflights. Any US civil aircraft operator that wants to fly into/out of or over Afghanistan must receive prior authorisation from the FAA.”