Qatari plane carrying humanitarian aid lands in Afghanistan

A Qatari plane carrying humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has landed in Kabul, the Gulf state's foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The aid was provided by Qatar Charity, in coordination with the Qatar Fund for Development, the ministry statement said.

The latest shipment "contained 20 tons of food aid", the ministry said, adding that "competent authorities" in Afghanistan have already begun "distributing it to those who deserve it".

The latest aid shipment brings the total of Qatar aid to Afghanistan to "138 tons of medical and food items", which the statement said was "part of its continuous support to the Afghan people".

Qatar hosted the Taliban's political office, which oversaw negotiations with the US that eventually led to the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban takeover, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have halted Afghanistan's access to funding, while the United States has also frozen cash held in its reserves for Kabul.

Afghanistan, already heavily dependent on aid, is facing an economic crisis, with the new authorities unable to pay salaries and food prices soaring.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has repeatedly warned that the Taliban would have to earn legitimacy and support, after talks with allies on how to present a united front.

Qatar has repeatedly called on the international community not to make humanitarian aid to Afghanistan conditional on political developments under the new Taliban government.