Few Kannadigas exited Afghanistan in time, govt trying to bring back others

While Melvin was able to make it home, two Christian missionaries from Karnataka are among those stuck in Afghanistan, said Dakshina Kannada district authorities

Melvin, a resident of Ullal in Karnataka was stuck at the Kabul airport for two days without food after the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s capital. Melvin, who was working as an electrician at a hospital in Kabul, returned home on Wednesday. He was among the lucky few who managed to return immediately after the afghan air space was shut down, leaving hundreds of desperate people stranded.

There is a mad scramble as people desperate to leave Afghanistan climb atop air planes in Kabul fearing Taliban’s hardline Islamist rule. (AFP Photo)

“I have been working in Afghanistan for the past 10 years as an electrician in a hospital. Since I was working at the military hospital, my accommodation was near the airport. So, when the message came that the Indian Air Force is operating [a] flight, I was able to get there on time. We had to wait for two days before we could get on the flight,” Melvin recollected.

While Melvin was able to get a direct flight to India operated by the IAF, other Indians who boarded different flights were taken to destinations such as London, Dubai, and Norway, said Melvin. His brother’s was one such case in point as he was taken to Qatar.

“The flight took us to Jamnagar base in Gujarat and from there I went to New Delhi and reached my hometown,” he said.

Even though the Taliban had entered Kabul, Melvin said his workplace was relatively secure as it was a military hospital. “I didn’t experience any problem apart from the anxiety to return home,” he said.

While Melvin was able to make it home, two Christian missionaries from Karnataka are stuck in Afghanistan, said Dakshina Kannada district authorities. Officials said information about Father Jerome Sequera from Mangaluru and Father Robert Rodriguez from Thirthahalli has been passed on to the senior IPS official, appointed nodal officer for coordinating with the Centre to rescue Kannadigas stuck in Afghanistan.

Both the individuals were trying to reach Kabul International Airport, said officials.

35-year-old Deepak Kumar, another Karnataka resident to have recently returned from Afghanistan, said he evacuated before the rush began at the airport.

A resident of Puttur in Dakshina Kannada, Kumar was part of the firefighting crew at the US and NATO army base in Herat for the past six years. Unlike Melvin who returned after Kabul fell, Kumar returned to India on June 22, due to Taliban’s attack to control Herat city.

“We worked with Portuguese and British nationals. …when I worked at the military base, rockets launched by the Taliban used to fall right inside the premises,” Kumar said.

“I am in touch with locals in Herat city who worked with me. There is a curfew kind of atmosphere there as people stay inside their homes,” he added.