Some 30,000 Afghans will perform Hajj this year The government will sponsor 500, mainly family members of those who fell victim to the country’s ongoing war KABUL: The first Hajj flight from Kabul left Hamid Karzai International Airport for Saudi Arabia on Saturday, carrying 345 Afghan pilgrims. Kam Air, the country’s main carrier, has been chartered this year to serve 88 flights scheduled over 25 days to fly the pilgrims for Hajj. “Today, we had two flights carrying 345 pilgrims for Hajj, as the first group to fly,” Qazi Abdul Rauf, a senior official at the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Trusts, told Arab News. Hajj flights have started in Kabul and Herat but others will soon leave from Kandahar and Balkh airports, confirmed Faiz Mohammad Osmani, Minister for Hajj and Religious Endowments, on Saturday. The flights carrying Shiite pilgrims will also start very soon, said Osmani. The ministry has been under fire in the past for poor management and alleged corruption. Concerned authorities stress that concrete procedures have been put in place to deal with challenges in past years. An estimated 30,000 Afghans will perform Hajj this year, of which the government will sponsor 500, mainly family members of those who fell victim to the country’s ongoing war. While Hajj is a very expensive exercise for many Afghans, many people urge those going multiple times to spend their money on helping their underprivileged countrymen instead.