Daily US Times: India has evacuated all of its diplomats from Afghanistan amid security concerns in the aftermath of Taliban takeover, the foreign ministry said.
The Indian ambassador and all other diplomats flown out in a special military flight on Tuesday to the Hindon airbase near capital Delhi.
The aircraft was carrying around 150 people, including diplomats, ecurity personnel, officials and some stranded Indians.
S Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, called the evacuation process a “difficult and complicated” exercise.
On Tuesday, ambassador Rudrendra Tandon told local media: “Happy to be back home safely and securely.”
Afghanistan’s security situation has been fluid after the Taliban took over Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani and his Vice-President has fled the country. Thousands of desperate Afghans have raced to the airport in the past few days in a frantic attempt to flee.
The commercial airspace in the Kabul International Airport is shut and foreign soldiers have been struggling to keep the Kabul airport functional amid the chaos.
Mr Tandon said that some Indians are still stranded in Afghanistan and assured that they will be evacuated after commercial flight services resume.
It is not clear how many there are, but many have pleaded with Indian authorities on social media to evacuate them.
As India withdraws all its diplomats from Kabul, India’s diplomatic presence in Afghanistan temporarily ends. Experts say this could make make it difficult for people – both Indians and Afghans – who want to travel to India.
But they say given the volatile situation, it’s the right decision to withdraw diplomats.
Meanwhile, the Taliban have been asking people to return to work without fearing any retributions.
But experts say it’s too early to fully trust the promises of Taliban given the group’s bloody past.
You may read: The Taliban’s victory will test India, and peace in South Asia
