New Delhi, August 21:
The Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) C-130J transport aircraft took off from Kabul evacuating 85 Indians, news agency ANI reported on Saturday. ANI reported citing people familiar with the developments that the IAF aircraft landed in Tajikistan for refuelling as Indian government officials are helping in the evacuation of India’s citizens from Kabul. The IAF’s aircraft will drop off the Indians at Tajikistan’s Dushanbe and they will then be picked up by an Air India plane.
On Tuesday, India’s ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon and diplomatic staff from Kabul were brought back on a C-17 Globemaster heavy-lift aircraft from the Afghanistan capital. Before that, 45 diplomats and security personnel were flown on Monday as part of an extensive evacuation programme. The government has kept its evacuation plan under wraps and airlifted the citizens after the Indian side received credible inputs about possible threats from rogue elements and Pakistani terror groups.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a high-level meeting during which he instructed officials to ensure all Indian nationals are evacuated safely from war-torn Afghanistan, which has been overtaken by the Taliban.
The two C-17s flew into Kabul using a circuitous route through Iranian airspace and over the Arabian Sea in order to avoid flying over Pakistan or spending too much time in the uncontrolled Afghan airspace.
The withdrawal of the ambassador and other diplomatic staff from Kabul reflected India’s misgivings about the Taliban’s assurances that all embassies and diplomats would be provided security. On Monday night, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen tweeted that no problems will be created for diplomats, embassies and charitable workers.
India is among the several countries struggling to ramp up the pace of evacuations since the Taliban captured the entire country with stunning speed just a week ago. The Kabul airport, which is now the only way out for foreigners and Afghans alike, has been witnessing chaos as thousands of people desperate to flee have been crowding the area.
Members of the hardline Islamist group with guns have been seen around the airport. At least 12 people have been killed in and around the airport since Sunday, Nato and Taliban officials said.
A Nato official told Reuters on Saturday that about 12,000 foreigners and Afghans working for embassies and international aid groups have been evacuated from Kabul airport since Sunday. “The evacuation process is slow, as it is risky, for we don’t want any form of clashes with Taliban members or civilians outside the airport. We don’t want to start a blame game regarding the evacuation plan,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The Taliban have said they are not responsible for the disorder at the Kabul airport, saying the West could have had a better plan to evacuate.
