Afghan Flights Delayed as Snow Blankets Kabul Airport

A man cycles through Kabul as the first snow of the winter descends on the Afghan capital (AFP/Mohd RASFAN)
A man cycles through Kabul as the first snow of the winter descends on the Afghan capital (AFP/Mohd RASFAN)
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Afghan Flights Delayed as Snow Blankets Kabul Airport

A man cycles through Kabul as the first snow of the winter descends on the Afghan capital (AFP/Mohd RASFAN)
A man cycles through Kabul as the first snow of the winter descends on the Afghan capital (AFP/Mohd RASFAN)

Flights to and from the Afghan capital were delayed or cancelled Thursday after the city was blanketed by overnight snow.

Kabul's streets were also largely empty as shop owners, government employees and workers stayed indoors to seek shelter from the freezing weather, AFP said.

The cold snap has added to Afghanistan's woes, with the United Nations and other organizations warning millions will need food and shelter from the country's harsh winter.

On Thursday, dozens of workers cleared snow from the single runway at Kabul's airport, which has slowly resumed business after being trashed in August when tens of thousands of people scrambled to evacuate as the Taliban returned to power.

"Flights have been delayed as there is snow on the runway but soon we will clear it," said Imamuddin Ahmadi, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport and Aviation.

Kabul has missed regular snowfall in recent years, as thick clouds of smog from coal and wood fires keep temperatures high in the immediate vicinity.

But the forecast for the coming days suggests temperatures will dip further in the capital and neighboring provinces.



Thailand Says Four Nationals Killed Near Israel-Lebanon Border

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town Al-Ahmadieh on November 1, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town Al-Ahmadieh on November 1, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)
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Thailand Says Four Nationals Killed Near Israel-Lebanon Border

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town Al-Ahmadieh on November 1, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese town Al-Ahmadieh on November 1, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)

Four Thai nationals were killed and one was injured by rocket fire near the town of Metula, close to the border between Lebanon and Israel, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa posted on the social media platform X on Friday.
Last year, 46 Thais were among the 1,200 people killed when Hamas militants launched an attack across Israeli borders, according to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Thirty Thai nationals were abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, and six are believed to still be in captivity, according to Thai authorities.
The Israeli response to the attack has since laid waste to the Palestinian territory of Gaza and killed tens of thousands of people. Israel has also launched attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, Reuters reported.
Before the conflict, about 30,000 Thai nationals worked in Israel, mostly in the agriculture sector, making up one of the largest groups of migrant workers in Israel.
"Thailand continues to strongly urge all parties to return to the path of peace, in the name of the innocent civilians gravely impacted by this prolonged and deepening conflict," Thai foreign minister Maris said.