SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

Qatar offering COVID vaccines to Afghanistan evacuees yet to transit

The Foreign Ministry of Qatar said on Thursday that it is providing COVID-19 vaccinations to Afghan evacuees who are temporarily living in the Gulf Arab state, which has been assisting worldwide evacuation operations since the Taliban took Kabul.

Qatar, which hosts the region’s largest US military base, has assisted in the evacuation of more than 40,000 individuals to Doha and will continue to do so in “the coming days,” according to the ministry.

Those who do not immediately transit to other countries are being provided with a PCR test and COVID-19 vaccine, if requested, it said, adding that Doha is temporarily hosting “a large number of evacuees most of them students, families and journalists”.

Pressure to complete moving out thousands of foreigners and Afghans who helped Western countries during the 20-year war against the Taliban has intensified, with all U.S. and allied troops due to leave the airport next week.

Qatar has also agreed with the United States to temporarily host 8,000 Afghan nationals while the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have both said they would host 5,000.

    Source:
  • Reuters