A video released on social media shows Qatari Sheikhs using Taliban helicopters to hunt rare birds in the southern province of Helmand in Afghanistan.
The video, seen by Amu TV, shows the Taliban governor for Kandahar, Mohammad Yosuf Wafa, accompanying the Qatari nationals while they are hunting.
The Qataris visited the Khanshin district of the province to hunt Afghanistan’s endangered birds, sources from Helmand told Amu TV.
The sources added that the Qataris were using Afghan helicopters and were guarded by Taliban security forces.
According to the sources, Taliban governor Mohammad Yosuf Wafa gave the Qatari Sheikhs permission to hunt and provided them with facilities to hunt rare birds.
Sources from southern Kandahar, meanwhile, told Amu TV that the Taliban maintain security in southern provinces for Qatari nationals where they hunt rare and expensive falcons.
Qatari Sheikhs have meanwhile also brought with them entertainment equipment including a big-screen TV to watch the 2022 Football World Cup which is underway in Qatar.
Provincial officials of Kandahar and Helmand refused to comment in this regard.
Qatari hunters have regularly visited Farah and Nimruz provinces over the years for hunting purposes. However, this is the first time since the Taliban takeover that Qatari nationals are known to have visited Helmand to hunt endangered birds.
