ISLAMABAD — Airlines should resume international flights to and from Afghanistan, the Taliban's de facto Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, following the group's seizure of the country last month.

The Taliban’s newly appointed Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, posted a statement on Twitter claiming that problems at Kabul International Airport have been resolved.

“The airport is fully operational for domestic and international flights,” the statement read. “The IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) assures all airlines of its full cooperation and expects all airlines and countries that had previously flown to Kabul to resume their flights as before.”

The hard-liners seized power in Afghanistan in mid-August as international forces were withdrawing from the war-torn country.

All commercial flights to the country were halted and tens of thousands of Afghans who feared Taliban retaliation were evacuated from Kabul's airport in military planes.

The U.S. forces damaged military and commercial planes as well as the radar system of the airport before the departure of the last US troops.

The first international flight took off from the Taliban-controlled Kabul airport early in September, after Qatari and Turkish technical teams got the airport running, mainly for evacuation of those foreign nationals who were left in Afghanistan as well as their local employees.

Currently, hundreds of Afghans who wish to leave or return have been stuck where they are. No country has recognized the Taliban regime yet.

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