Qatar’s emir, Biden stress need for ‘political solution’ in Afghanistan

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and US President Joe Biden stressed, in a phone call, the need to protect civilians and the peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan, a statement by the Qatari Emiri Diwan said.

Sheikh Tamim and Biden also stressed the need to “ease tension in order to reach a comprehensive political solution to ensure security and stability for the benefit of the Afghan people,” the statement said.

President Biden earlier pledged firmly to bring all Americans home from Afghanistan — and all Afghans who aided the war effort, too — as officials confirmed that US military helicopters were flying into Taliban-held Kabul to scoop up would-be evacuees.

But Biden’s promises, and the limited US helicopter sorties beyond the concrete barriers ringing the Kabul airport, came as thousands more Americans and others seeking to escape the Taliban struggled to get past crushing crowds, Taliban airport checkpoints and sometimes-insurmountable US bureaucracy.

“We will get you home,” Biden promised Americans who were still in Afghanistan days after the Taliban retook control of Kabul, ending a two-decade war. American officials confirmed to The Associated Press that limited helicopter rescues were underway.