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Hundreds of Indian evacuees from Kabul expected to return home today
An Air India flight carrying 87 Indians has departed from Tajikistan for New Delhi, according to the spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs (MEA), Arindam Bagchi.
Hundreds of Indian nationals are expected to return home on Sunday in Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft as part of the government’s efforts to bring back people from Afghanistan as the situation has deteriorated at Kabul airport. The Indian Embassy in Qatar said on Sunday that the first batch of 135 Indians, who were evacuated from Kabul to Doha over the past few days, are being repatriated to India.
"1st batch of 135 Indians who were evacuated from Kabul to Doha over past days being repatriated tonight to India. Embassy officials provided consular and logistics assistance to ensure their safe return. We thank Qatar authorities and all concerned for making this possible," the embassy tweeted.
More than 80 Indians, who were flown in an IAF transport aircraft from Kabul to Tajikistan’s Dushanbe on Saturday, will also reach New Delhi on Sunday in a special Air India flight. More than 100 Indians are also expected to reach home by Sunday. They were set to be flown out of Kabul to New Delhi in a C-17 heavy-lift aircraft.
The spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs (MEA), Arindam Bagchi, tweeted that an Air India flight carrying 87 Indians has departed from Tajikistan for New Delhi. "Bringing Indians home from Afghanistan! AI 1956 carrying 87 Indians departs from Tajikistan for New Delhi. Two Nepalese nationals also evacuated. Assisted and supported by our Embassy in Dushanbe. More evacuation flights to follow," Bagchi posted.
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News agency ANI reported citing people familiar with the matter that India has been allowed to operate two flights every day from Kabul to evacuate its nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The permission has been granted by the American and Nato forces, which are controlling operations of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Afghan capital was taken over by the Taliban on August 15.
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The government has evacuated hundreds of Indian nationals from Kabul, which is now under the Taliban's control. India is airlifting its citizens through Dushanbe in Tajikistan and Qatar. The IAF has already evacuated around 180 passengers, including India’s ambassador to Afghanistan and all other diplomats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting and instructed all officials to undertake all necessary measures to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from Afghanistan.
Also read | Taliban block govt staff from returning to work
Taliban swept across the country and entered Kabul last Sunday and ever since hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been crowding the Kabul airport to escape. Several countries, including the United States, are also evacuating thousands of their diplomats and civilians as well as numerous Afghans.
Meanwhile, the Taliban's co-founder, Mullah Baradar, arrived in the Afghan capital for talks with other leaders as the hardline Islamist group is trying to hammer out a new government.
