The first group of Afghan pilgrims, consisting of 346 residents of Nangarhar province, arrived in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia early yesterday (18 April).
The Taliban’s Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs said they were transported at 3:30 a.m. from Kabul International Airport to Medina by Kam Air.
Taliban officials, including Abdul Fatah Haqqani, the group’s ambassador in Riyadh, welcomed the pilgrims. They were accommodated in the central area near the Prophet’s Mosque.
Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi, head of Hajj, Umrah and pilgrimages at the Taliban’s Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs, said that 30,000 people from Afghanistan will be sent to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year.
According to him, the pilgrims will be transported by Ariana Airlines and Kam Air from four aviation zones of the country in 96 flights.
Of the total, 15,000 pilgrims will be taken to Medina and another 15,000 to Jeddah.
