AVA - Afghan pilgrims leave Kabul for Hajj

Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said the first group of Afghan pilgrims left for Saudi Arabia on Sunday morning.

Afghan Voice Agency(AVA)_Monitoring, The group left from Kabul Airport on an Ariana Afghan Airlines flight.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, the second deputy prime minister, said at a ceremony ahead of their departure at Kabul airport that more than 13,000 Afghans will attend Hajj in Saudi Arabia this year.

This comes after Saudi officials were forced to restrict the number of pilgrims due to the pandemic. Only Saudi Arabian citizens and residents have been able to participate in the past two years.

This year, Saudi officials will allow one million people to participate in Hajj, of which 13,582 will be from Afghanistan.