India evacuates embassy in Kabul, which was under Taliban observation
Indian PM Modi on Tuesday evening held a high-level meeting with minister on Afghanistan
India on Tuesday evacuated its staffers from the embassy in Kabul, which fell to the Taliban on Sunday.The embassy personnel, including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on security duty, were flown back in two Indian Air Force (IAF) planes.
However, the Indian embassy at Kabul is not closed and the local staff is providing consular services. More than 1,650 people have applied for their return to India, reports the NDTV citing the ANI.
"The government will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian nationals and our interests in Afghanistan," the Indian foreign ministry had said earlier.
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After being confined to their mission compound for more than 36 hours, Indian diplomats were escorted to the airport on Tuesday morning by the Taliban but only after foreign agencies intervened and requested the terrorist group to provide safe passage for staffers of the Indian mission.
"The initial plan was to evacuate everyone together. On August 16 (Monday), a convoy carrying 45 Indians managed to reach the airport but the other two convoys were asked to go back by Taliban," a senior functionary in the Indian government told the NDTV.
According to him, the second convoy which included Indian diplomats had about 80 Indians which was made to turn back.
"The curfew imposed was only for Indians. Movement of nationals of other countries was not restricted," he said.
The government of India was already on backchannel talks with many foreign agencies including Russians. Finally, they managed to convince them to persuade the Taliban to let the Indian mission staff go to the airport, he added.
"Taliban escorted our people to the airport including our ambassador. After reaching the airport with the help of other agencies (Americans) our plane was able to take off," he said.
The Kabul airport is currently being operated by Americans. The Air Traffic Control is under their supervision.
The first IAF C-17 plane landed in Delhi on Monday night carrying 45 people only. The second landed in Hindon on Tuesday afternoon carrying mostly mission staff and personnel of the ITBP.
The issue of concern now is that although India has managed to bring its mission staff and ITBP personnel back, including their weapons, many armoured vehicles belonging to the force was left parked at the Kabul airport.
Two Indian Air Force C-17 transports flew into Kabul on 15 August to evacuate Indian embassy personnel, including Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel who defend the mission, the ANI reports citing sources.
On Monday, India said Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan will be given priority for repatriation once commercial flight service begins from Kabul. India also said it would stand by Afghans "who have been our partners in the promotion of our mutual developmental, educational and people to people endeavours".
The Indian embassy was reportedly also under observation by the Taliban, and the high-security Green Zone - the heavily fortified district that houses most embassies and international organisations - was breached.
The Taliban raided the Shahir Visa Agency, which processes visas for Afghans looking to travel to India.
The first batch of 45 Indian personnel who were evacuated on the first IAF aircraft on Monday were initially stopped by Taliban sentries on their way to the airport. The personal belongings of a few Indian staff members were taken away by the Taliban as they proceeded to the airport, sources have said.
The first Indian transport aircraft that left Kabul on Monday took off under very challenging circumstances given the chaos at Kabul airport where thousands of desperate Afghans had arrived in the hope of flying out of the country.
Remaining members of the Indian diplomatic and security contingent were unable to evacuate Monday since the route to the airport was closed and there were mobs at the airport.
An overnight conversation between the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar may have helped in moving the Indian personnel to Kabul airport Tuesday morning.
All the remaining Indian mission members - over 120 of them - including Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon, boarded the second IAF C-17 and safely left Afghan airspace on Tuesday morning and landed in Gujarat's Jamnagar.
"Your welcome has an impact on all of us. Thank you to the Indian Air Force who flew us out under conditions that are not normal," India's Ambassador to Afghanistan, Rudrendra Tandon, said after landing at Jamnagar.
A meeting to assess the situation in war-torn Afghanistan is set to take place on Tuesday evening at the home of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The meeting is being attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
