Of the 120,000 people America flew out of Afghanistan, almost half passed through Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar
The ending, of course, was not as America hoped. Like the talks that preceded it, last month’s frantic airlift out of Kabul relied heavily on Qatar. Of the 120,000 people America flew out of Afghanistan, almost half passed through Al-Udeid . The tiny emirate, home to just 3m people , thus played a central role in the beginning of the end, and the end itself.
Unlike its neighbours in the Gulf, Qatar is also sympathetic to political Islam. No surprise, then, that it wound up facilitating talks between America and the Taliban. It was able to win trust on both sides. The United Arab Emirates also sought to host the Taliban, but was rebuffed. On September 6th Mr Blinken and Lloyd Austin, America’s defence secretary, arrived in Doha for talks with Qatar. Dominic Raab, Britain’s foreign secretary, made his own trip four days earlier. The question, however, is how long Qatar’s influence will endure. Much of it came from its role as mediator and host. With the Americans gone and the old Afghan government defunct, there are no talks left to mediate. The Taliban are free to govern as they wish and to seek new diplomatic relationships.
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