Qatari forces reportedly at Kabul airport

An Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority official has said there are a number of Qatari forces stationed at Kabul airport.

The source, who did not want to be named, told BBC the Qataris have been stationed at the airport for a few months.

He said there were less than 50 and they were only there to secure Qatari airport staff.

This emerged after the BBC reported they had obtained a video showing Qatari forces at the airport.

Turkey and Qatar have been in talks with the IEA to help reopen and run the airport – which closed at the time of the collapse of the former government and chaotic withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in August.

Talks between the parties over the past few months have focused on ways to reopen the airport, while taking technical, financial and security issues into consideration.

The BBC reported that the presence of Qatari forces at Kabul airport comes after strong opposition by the IEA on having any foreign military presence in the country.

But a senior official at the IEA-led Civil Aviation Authority told the BBC that the Qataris had been at Kabul airport for about five months and were responsible for securing Qatari technical staff who help manage the airport.

He added that the number of Qatari security personnel is a lot less than it initially was and now number no more than 50.

He said that they are stationed in a specific area of the airport where Qatari personnel work.