The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has suspended its blacklisting of Afghanistan's largest private airline, pending investigation into allegation that Kam Air aircraft was used for drug trafficking.
Kam Air was barred from American military contracts last month based on information that its passenger flights were carrying "bulk" quantities of opium to neighboring Tajikistan, an impoverished Central Asian country that is regarded as a key transit route for smuggling drugs.
The ban reportedly forced Afghan President Hamid Karzai to change airlines for his current visit in Europe.
U.S. Forces - Afghanistan (USFOR-A) said in a press release on Monday that the decision to lift the ban was taken after a weekend meeting of its senior officials and their Afghan counterparts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul.
At the meeting, U.S. military officials explained why they had recommended the designation to the commander of CENTCOM.
Based on the Kabul discussion, CENTCOM will suspend the Section 841 designation and will communicate this normalized status to all affected U.S. government agencies. Meanwhile, the Afghan government has agreed for a full investigation of Kam Air and, if warranted, to take further action. USFOR-A has pledged support to the Afghan government probe by providing evidence and documents as required.
On completion of the investigation, USFOR-A and Afghan representatives will reconvene to mutually determine the next steps.
The U.S. military made it clear that "Afghan government and USFOR-A remain mutually committed to transparency and combating corruption."
Afghanistan's first privately-owned passenger airline, Kam Air currently operates international flights to India, Iran, and Tajikistan, besides scheduled domestic passenger services. It has announced plans to resume flights to UAE from March.
Due to aircraft safety issues, all Afghan carriers were banned from flying to the European Union since November 2010.
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