Taliban govt resumes issuing Afghan passportsAlam Gul Haqqani, head of the passport office (C), says the Taliban will resume issuing passports after a deluge of applications had caused biometric equipment to break downKABUL: Afghanistan's Taliban authorities said Saturday they will resume issuing passports in Kabul, giving hope to citizens who feel threatened living under the Islamists' rule. Thousands of Afghans have also applied for new travel documents to escape a growing economic and humanitarian crisis described by the UN as an "avalanche of hunger". The authorities will start issuing the travel documents from Sunday at Kabul's passport office, Alam Gul Haqqani, the head of the passport department in the interior ministry, told reporters. The Taliban stopped issuing passports shortly after their August 15 return to power, as tens of thousands of people scrambled to Kabul's only airport in a bid to catch any international flight that could evacuate them. Issuing passports is seen as a test of the Taliban's commitment to the international community to allow eligible people to leave amid the growing humanitarian crisis.

Source: Bangkok Post December 18, 2021 16:12 UTC