Qatar working to open humanitarian corridors to Afghanistan, official says

FILE PHOTO: Internally displaced Afghan family sit at their shelter on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan February 3, 2021. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

DUBAI — Qatar is working to facilitate the opening of humanitarian corridors to get aid into Afghanistan, a Qatari foreign ministry official said on Friday.

Qatar was engaging with the Taliban to ensure a peaceful transition of power to an inclusive and effective government, special envoy Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani said in a statement.

Al Qahtani arrived in Kabul on Friday to hold talks on forming an inclusive Afghan government and reopening of the Kabul airport, said a Qatari source familiar with the visit.

The Gulf state has emerged as a key interlocutor with the Taliban, having hosted the militant group’s political office since 2013. The Taliban negotiated the U.S. military withdrawal and separate talks with the Afghan government in Qatar.