India on Tuesday advised its nationals in Afghanistan to make immediate travel arrangements to return home before commercial air services are discontinued amid intense fighting between security forces and the Taliban across the war-torn country.
A security advisory issued by the Indian embassy also called on Indian companies operating in Afghanistan to immediately withdraw Indian employees from project sites before air services get discontinued. This was the third security alert issued by the mission for Indian citizens since June 29 and it reiterated a warning to avoid non-essential travel because of a serious threat of kidnapping.
The alert was issued hours after Indian began the process for evacuating its officials and nationals from the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Indian Air Force aircraft amid reports of an advance by the Taliban.
Tuesday’s security advisory said that with the escalation of violence in many parts of Afghanistan, commercial air travel services to many provinces and cities were being discontinued.
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{{/usCountry}}“All Indian nationals visiting, staying and working in Afghanistan are strongly advised to keep themselves updated on the availability of commercial flights from various parts of Afghanistan and make immediate travel arrangements to return to India before commercial air services are discontinued to their place of stay/visit in Afghanistan,” the alert said.
“Indian companies operating in Afghanistan are strongly advised to immediately withdraw their Indian employees out of project sites in Afghanistan before air travel services get discontinued. Indian nationals working for Afghan or foreign companies in Afghanistan should immediately request their employer to facilitate their travel from project sites to India,” it added.
The embassy said the security advisory was also valid for Indian media personnel in Afghanistan, who should establish contact with the mission’s public affairs and security wing for a personalised briefing, “including specific advice for the location they are travelling to”. This, it added, will help the media make a better assessment of “risks involved, given the rapid changes in security situation taking place in different parts of the country”.
According to information provided by the government to Parliament last week, there are currently some 1,500 Indian nationals in Afghanistan. Most of them are workers and professionals engaged for the hundreds of development projects being implemented by the Indian government under its pledges of $3 billion for reconstruction and development efforts.
The last security advisory issued by India on July 24 said the security situation in Afghanistan “remains dangerous in several provinces”. It said terror groups had escalated violent activities including targeting of civilians. “Indian nationals are not exceptions, and they additionally face a serious threat of kidnapping,” it added.
Since the previous advisory was issued, the security situation has further deteriorated as the Taliban pushed ahead with their campaign targeting provincial capitals and urban centres after capturing wide swathes of territory in rural areas. The Taliban campaign gained momentum with the withdrawal of most of the US and NATO forces. With the drawdown of foreign troops to be completed by August 31, experts believe the security situation will worsen.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif, which was the only fully functional consulate out of four such missions across Afghanistan, asked Indian nationals to take a special flight that will evacuate officials, diplomats and security personnel.