Qatari-Iranian campaign to distort UAE humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan – details
The UAE has always prioritized humanitarian aid and the important interests of many countries affected by terrorism and its repercussions, as well as helping to solve problems and help poor countries.
This strategy has been pursued by the UAE throughout its history, which has led many countries to be concerned about the UAE’s humanitarian role and the growing love of people for its leadership. They believe that the UAE’s role in eliminating terrorism and its success in helping poor countries harm their interests and aspirations.
GAAC
Spreading rumors was a tactic followed by Iran and Qatar to tarnish the image of the UAE and cover up its role in providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
Iran, Qatar, and Afghanistan have been at the center of a systematic war of distortion against the United Arab Emirates, seeking to block Emirati aid without paying attention to the situation of the Afghan people.
To threaten the common interests of Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, the two countries have spread rumors of Emirati cooperation with Israel to directly influence the domestic situation in Kabul.
After the General Authority of Civil Aviation of the United Arab Emirates (GAAC) won the security screening of passengers and luggage at airports in Kabul, Herat West, Kandahar South and Mazar-e-Sharif North, according to a joint statement issued by the company with the Afghan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, the Qatari and Iranian duo launched a campaign of rumors among the Afghan people that the UAE is cooperating with Israel through this company to control Afghan aviation.
Although the designated company is a well-known Emirati institution with no partners, and there is no evidence of its partnerships with Israel, the campaign is based on fake news, ignoring the company’s highly experienced and diligent track record in managing airports, especially after work began to maintain security in Kabul.
Why did the campaign start?
Qatar and Iran had submitted requests for the management of Kabul airport, but their offers were rejected due to lack of experience and the fact that negotiations with the Taliban government had reached a deadlock. This sparked hatred and attempts to distort the success of the Emirati company, as Israel is part of it, in an attempt to rally Afghans against the company.
Qatar and Iran are trying to remove any country that is capable of stopping terrorism and restoring stability in Afghanistan, especially in light of their recent attempts to use Afghanistan as a training ground for Muslim Brotherhood and Shia militias after they started to decline significantly in many countries.
Ground services at Kabul Airport
The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation of Afghanistan demanded the provision of ground services at the airports of Kabul, Kandahar and Herat. Reports indicated that the authority has been providing such services at the Kabul airport since November 2020. The Emirati company played a key role in its rehabilitation after the events of August with the American withdrawal from the country. Therefore, the talks with Qatar and Turkey did not result in an agreement on the management of the main airports.
The Afghan government’s choice of the UAE airline, due to its high level of expertise in the aviation field and the trust the Taliban has in the UAE regarding the fact that the UAE has world-class aviation leading companies, may consider the Afghan state a major gain to strengthen cooperation with UAE companies in the aviation field, which will allow the government to end the economic downturn and revive it and strengthen development fields.
Helping the Afghan people and reviving the economy
The contracts with the UAE are operational and not a security contract, said Afghan government spokesman Anaam Samanai, adding that ground services will be provided at these airports to help revive the country’s airports and tourism and reassure international airlines that they will resume operations.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, said: The renewal of contracts with Afghanistan is intended to help the Afghan people and revive the country’s economy after widespread violations, terrorism, and conflict in the country led to a deterioration of the economy.
Garqash added that the victory due to the contract of operating ground services at three Afghan airports after a great competition from several countries is based on the advanced capabilities and competencies of the UAE in the field of civil aviation organization and safety, stressing that the goal is to help the Afghan people and promote the development of stability in Afghanistan.
Extreme media tools
The competition between countries to operate Afghanistan’s airports has become a focal point through which Qatar and Iran seek to harm the Afghan people only, as they would only be interested in reaching their purposes in the country and plundering its wealth and influence in it, and would not harm the UAE as well as the Afghan citizens.
But this was not important for Qatar and Iran’s media tools, notably Al Jazeera and the Shia Al Alam channel, which broadcast fake news and drafted analysis and comments from a number of Brotherhood elements, without a clear source for the published news.
