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Afghanistan turmoil: India warns citizens of kidnapping threat
The security advisory from the Indian embassy in Kabul reiterated many of the concerns in an earlier alert issued on June 29 and said the security situation in Afghanistan “remains dangerous in several provinces”.
India on Saturday issued a fresh security alert for its nationals in Afghanistan amid a surge in violence and fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban, warning them to avoid non-essential travel as they face a “serious threat of kidnapping”.
The security advisory from the Indian embassy in Kabul reiterated many of the concerns in an earlier alert issued on June 29 and said the security situation in Afghanistan “remains dangerous in several provinces”.
“Terror groups operating in Afghanistan have escalated violent activities including targeting of civilians. Indian nationals are not exceptions, and they additionally face a serious threat of kidnapping,” the advisory said.
The alert warned of targeted attacks such as “roadside IED blasts and magnetic IEDs against civilian vehicles”, and called for caution during all vehicular movements.
“All Indian nationals visiting, staying and working in Afghanistan are advised to exercise utmost vigilance and caution with regard to security at work place, place of residence and also during movement to their places of work. It is recommended that all types of non-essential movements be avoided,” the advisory said.
The advisory contained a new section calling on Indian media personnel travelling to Afghanistan to contact the public affairs and security wing of the embassy for a “personalised briefing including specific advice for the locale they are travelling to”. It added, “This will not only help media persons make a better assessment of the risks involved, but also make it easier for the embassy to render speedy assistance if needed.”
This was a response to the killing of Indian photo-journalist Danish Siddiqui by the Taliban last week. The Pulitzer Prize winner was killed while covering clashes between Afghan troops and the Taliban at Spin Boldak, a border crossing with Pakistan in Kandahar province. Siddiqui was on an assignment embedded with Afghan security forces at the time.
Indian nationals were also warned to strictly avoid travelling outside the main cities and movements during peak commuting hours. The advisory reiterated an earlier call for Indian companies operating in Afghanistan to make special security arrangements for Indian employees deployed at project sites.
“While travelling on roads, maintain distance from possible targets like military convoys, vehicles of govt ministries/offices, high ranking officials, law enforcement agencies, and avoid visiting crowded markets, shopping complexes, mandis, restaurants and other public places. All essential movement may please be kept as discrete as possible,” the advisory said.
Authorities in New Delhi have been closely monitoring all security-related developments in Afghanistan since the US administration announced plans to pull out all troops from the country by August. India evacuated some 50 diplomats and security personnel from Kandahar in Indian Air Force aircraft on July 10 after Taliban fighters seized key areas around the southern city.
Currently, only the Indian embassy in Kabul and a consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif are fully functional. According to the external affairs ministry’s data, there are around 3,100 Indian nationals in Afghanistan, mostly engineers and staff working on hundreds of development projects. India is the largest regional donor in Afghanistan, with pledges of around $3 billion.
The Taliban has enhanced efforts to wrest control of territory from Afghan government forces as the US continues withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan. The Taliban have said that civilian and non-military foreign nationals, diplomats, embassies and workers of humanitarian organisations won’t “face any problems or security risks” from the group.
