Indian military aircraft set to fly out 180 from Afghanistan tonight
Indian officials have focused on ensuring that no Indian nationals are left behind given the difficulties associated with organising evacuation flights ahead of the August 31 deadline for the US withdrawal.
NEW DELHI: India is set to evacuate up to 180 people, including its nationals and Afghan citizens, in a military aircraft from Afghanistan on Wednesday night ahead of the looming August 31 deadline for withdrawal of US and foreign troops.
Indian officials have been working in trying circumstances to get all Indian nationals who have been traced and Afghan citizens, including Hindus and Sikhs, to the Kabul airport in the face of assertions by the Taliban that they would not allow the evacuation of Afghans.
The desperate evacuation operations at Kabul by all countries have picked up pace after the Taliban warned that the US must adhere to the deadline for pulling out all its troops. There are also concerns about possible suicide attacks on the airport and the crowds there by the Islamic State-Khorasan, with US President Joe Biden personally acknowledging the threat.
An Indian military aircraft was set to fly out up to 180 people late on Wednesday night, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity. The group is expected to reach India on Thursday.
As with recent evacuation efforts, Afghan citizens given Indian visas have had problems in accessing Kabul airport because of strict checks being conducted by Taliban fighters on all routes.
Given the difficulties associated with organising evacuation flights ahead of the August 31 deadline for the US withdrawal, Indian officials have focused on ensuring that no Indian nationals are left behind, the people added.
The US and its allies have evacuated more than 80,000 people, including their nationals, NATO personnel and Afghans at risk, since August 14, the day before the Taliban marched into Kabul after the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government.
Biden has spurned calls from G7 leaders to keep American troops at the airport beyond the deadline, which was set under an agreement signed by the previous Donald Trump administration with the Taliban in February last year. Officials of G7 states have said no country will be able to evacuate all their citizens and at-risk Afghans by August 31.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have thronged Kabul airport over the past week but most of them have been unable to secure seats on evacuation flights.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that military flights from Kabul will continue until the final hours of the August 31 deadline, though there will be a balance in getting out evacuees and 5,400 American troops and their equipment in the final days and hours.