More security for officials in Kabul

As the government prepares to send another contingent of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to raise protection level for Indian officials in Afghanistan, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said there were intelligence alerts that Indian targets were likely to be targeted.

As the government prepares to send another contingent of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to raise protection level for Indian officials in Afghanistan, Home Minister P Chidambaram said there were intelligence alerts that Indian targets were likely to be targeted.

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India has been told by Afghanistan that steps were taken in light of the intelligence reports. But Afghanistan is a “vulnerable area”.

National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon is due to visit Kabul for a fresh assessment of the security situation.

One of the first decisions to be formalised after the Menon visit is sending another contingent of the ITBP that provides security to Indian installations in and around Kabul.

But last week’s attack on a hotel and a guesthouse where six Indians were killed has led the government to think not just of protecting all installations where Indian officials were staying or working but providing individual security as well.

“So far, the focus was on securing installations or locating them in areas that were considered safe due to the presence of US defence forces,” a senior government official said. It was on account of the latter that the guesthouse attacked last Friday was considered comparatively safe.

Under the fresh security assessment, the government will focus on expanding locations provided security, fly in more ITBP troops and move officials working on developmental projects to safer locations, a home ministry official said.