Afghan businessmen urge Taliban to give Kabul airport contract to UAE

As Qatar and Turkey seek to take control of operations at the Kabul airport, Afghan businessmen are urging the government to sign a contract with a company from the United Arab Emirates instead, as many Afghans have investments in the UAE and they fear access will be restricted, Tolo News reported.

According to the traders, over 200,000 Afghans are settled there, the report said.

Last Thursday, Qatari and Turkish officials visited Kabul to discuss the management of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul with Islamic Emirate officials.

"This contract is important for the Afghans who are living here. This contract should be given to the UAE. If the flights between Kabul-UAE are halted, the traders will face serious problems," said Obaidullah Sadar Khail, head of the Afghanistan traders' council in the UAE.

Traders said that around 10 flights a day were being operated between Afghanistan and the UAE before the fall of the former government, according to Indo-Asian News Service.

"We call on the Islamic Emirate to give the management of the airports to the UAE as this will help develop the country," said Farid Ruhani, a trader, the report said.