Indian envoy, staff evacuated from Kabul

image.pngAfter undergoing numerous challenges, India on Tuesday was successful in evacuating its embassy in Kabul amid an escalating humanitarian crisis. A special Air Force flight brought back the envoy, along with other staff members and ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) troops.

“Your welcome has an impact on all of us. Thanks to the Indian Air Force who flew us out under conditions that are not normal,” Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon was quoted as saying by ANI, shortly after the special flight landed in Gujarat’s Jamnagar.

However, Rudrendra Tandon clarified that the people in Afghanistan have not been abandoned and that the welfare of the Afghans is their utmost priority.

Despite efforts by the Indian govt, the Indian Ambassador in Kabul, other staff members, and ITBP troops could not be brought back earlier amid all the chaos unfolding at the Kabul airport and streets. Two aircraft were deployed for the evacuation of the embassy staff on Sunday. The first IAF C-17 aircraft with 45 personnel returned on Monday.

As per reports, the Indian embassy was also reportedly under observation by the Taliban. And some Indian staff members were reportedly stopped when they were on their way to the airport.

In a video posted by ANI, several men were seen chanting “Bharat Mata ki Jai” as they expressed their happiness on returning to their homeland.

It was the second evacuation flight.
On Monday, another C-17 aircraft had evacuated around 40 people including a number of Indian embassy staff from Kabul before the operations at the airport in the city were suspended. The two military aircraft flew into Kabul using the Iranian airspace while avoiding the route through the Pakistani airspace.
The US security forces are controlling the Kabul airport and after the conversation between the two NSAs, the Indian contingent was taken inside the American security zone at the airport from where they took off this morning, top sources told ANI.

Image courtesy of (Image courtesy: exclusivemedia.in)

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