The Taleban authorities in Afghanistan have signed a deal with the International Air Transport Association IATA to modernise airports in the capital, Kabul, and other main cities.

Under the agreement, IATA will install satellite and weather forecast equipment at a cost of eight-million dollars.

A spokesman in Kabul said there were also plans to expand the fleet of the national airline, Ariana.

Correspondents say it's extremely rare for investment on this scale to be made in Afghanistan, which has been at war for the last twenty years.