Taliban say deal signed with UAE firm to manage airports

By RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban say they’ve signed a deal allowing an Emirati company to manage three airports in Afghanistan after the fall of the country’s U.S.-backed government. However, the United Arab Emirates didn’t immediately acknowledge the deal on Tuesday. The Taliban announced that under the deal, the Abu Dhabi-based firm GAAC Solutions would manage the airports in Herat, Kabul and Kandahar. They held a news conference in Kabul in which they signed the deal with an individual they identified as a managing director for GAAC. However, that firm and other officials in the UAE did not acknowledge the deal and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.