The passport offices have been closed since the Taliban came to power in Kabul in mid-August.
Hope has been rekindled with the reopening of the passport service in Kabul on Wednesday, October 6, as Afghans who feel threatened can hope to leave their country soon. Hundreds of them rushed to the passport offices, which have been closed since the Taliban took power in mid-August, to apply for passports.
The reopening is a test of the goodwill of the Taliban, who have pledged to the international community to let their compatriots with valid visas go.
Service able to issue 6,000 passports a day
The Taliban are trying to restart the administrative machinery, while most officials have not been paid for several months. The head of the passport department, Alam Gul Haqqani, assured AFP that his employees had received their salaries.
“Male and female employees are back to work,” he said. According to him, his service is able to issue 6,000 passports per day and to meet the demand.
