Afghan Police Back At Work Alongside Taliban At Airport

Kabul: Afghan police at Kabul airport have returned to figure manning checkpoints alongside Taliban security for the primary time since the Islamists seized power, officers said Sunday.
When the Taliban swept into Kabul last month ousting the govt , police abandoned their posts, scared of what the Islamists would do.

But two officers said that they had returned to figure Saturday after receiving calls from Taliban commanders.

On Sunday, an AFP correspondent at the airport saw border police members deployed at several checkpoints outside the most buildings of the airport, including the domestic terminal.

“I came back to figure yesterday quite fortnight after being sent home,” one among the police members told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“I received a call from a senior Taliban commander who asked me to return back,” another officer said.

“Yesterday was great, so happy to serve again.”

The Taliban say they need granted a general amnesty to everyone who worked for the previous government — including the military , police and other security branches.

Officials say they need to integrate the opposing forces, but haven’t spelled out how this may happen — or how they’re going to sustain a security apparatus made from around 600,000 people.

Kabul airport was severely damaged during the chaotic evacuation of over 120,000 folks that ended with the withdrawal folks forces on August 30.

The Taliban, who swept into Kabul after routing government forces on Assumption , are scrambling to urge the capital’s airport operating again with Qatari technical assistance.

The United Arab Emirates has found out an air bridge to deliver plenty of aid to Afghanistan, with aircraft bringing in many tonnes of medical and food supplies.

An airport employee who handles security for a personal company confirmed that the border police had been deployed round the airport since Saturday.

“They are sharing the safety with the Taliban,” he told AFP.

Qatar Airways has operated charter flights out of Kabul in recent days, carrying mostly foreigners and Afghans who missed being taken out during the evacuation.

An Afghan airline resumed domestic flights last week, while Pakistan International Airlines is predicted to start flights from Islamabad to Kabul in coming days.