Indian Ambassador Afghanistan crisis: IAF plane lands in Delhi after evacuating embassy staff from Kabul
New Delhi: An Indian Air Force plane that evacuated Indian Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon and other staff of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, landed in Delhi on Tuesday evening.
The C-17 Globemaster had taken off from Kabul on Tuesday morning with the evacuees, including ITBP personnel deployed for the protection of the embassy there.
Another C-17 aircraft of IAF with some evacuees had landed in Delhi on Monday morning. However, as the Taliban entered the high security area which houses the Indian Embassy, evacuation was slowed down on Monday.
The aircraft with the Indian officials landed in Gujarat's Jamnagar at around 1100 hrs, and then flew to Delhi.
#MEA has set up a Special Afghanistan Cell to coordinate repatriation and other requests from Afghanistan.
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 16, 2021
Pls contact :
Phone number: +919717785379
Email: MEAHelpdeskIndia@gmail.com@IndianEmbKabul
The plane waited in Kabul for a whole day on Monday, and could take off only on Tuesday morning.
Sources told UNI the road leading from the embassy to the airport was full of Taliban fighters.
India was in touch with the US, which helped in the evacuation, the sources said.
An Air India flight brought 129 evacuees, both Indian and Afghan nationals, on Sunday night.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said movement of the Indian Ambassador and the Embassy staff from Kabul to India was a difficult and complicated exercise.
Movement of the Indian Ambassador and the Embassy staff from Kabul to India was a difficult and complicated exercise. Thank all those whose cooperation and facilitation made it possible.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 17, 2021
"Movement of the Indian Ambassador and the Embassy staff from Kabul to India was a difficult and complicated exercise. Thank all those whose cooperation and facilitation made it possible," he tweeted.
Speaking on the evacuation process, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement: "In view of the prevailing situation in Kabul, it was decided that our Embassy personnel would be immediately moved to India. This movement has been completed in two phases and the Ambassador and all other India-based personnel have reached New Delhi this afternoon."
"We have been issuing periodic travel and security advisories for all Indian nationals in Afghanistan, given the deteriorating security situation there. Those already in Afghanistan were urged to return immediately while others were advised not to travel there. Nevertheless, we understand that a number of Indians are stranded in that country, some of whom are employed by third country organizations. Our immediate priority is to obtain accurate information about all Indian nationals currently in Afghanistan," read the statement.
After days of fighting with the security forces and capturing territories, Taliban entered Kabul city on Sunday and took control over the Presidential Palace.
President Ashraf Ghani fled the country as the insurgents entered the country.
(With UNI inputs)
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