India on Sunday evacuated nearly 540 people, including 475 of its nationals, who were in Afghanistan on four flights from different destinations as the government sped up efforts to bring back all citizens after the situation at Kabul airport deteriorated further.
A total of 87 Indians and two Nepalese citizens were flown from the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe to Delhi in a special Air India flight on Sunday morning. They were earlier evacuated from Kabul to Dushanbe in a C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday.
Another 168 people, including 107 Indians and 23 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, were flown out of Kabul in a C-17 heavy lift aircraft and reached the Hindan airbase later on Sunday.
Afghan lawmakers Anarkali Honaryar and Narender Singh Khalsa and their families were among the Sikhs and Hindus. They were escorted into Kabul airport by international forces after the Taliban prevented a group of more than 70 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from entering the area on Saturday.
Another 281 Indians, most of them employees of firms from Western countries that were active in Afghanistan, were flown back from Doha to Delhi on two special flights. These Indians had been flown out to Qatar on US and NATO flights over the past few days.
{{/usCountry}}Another 281 Indians, most of them employees of firms from Western countries that were active in Afghanistan, were flown back from Doha to Delhi on two special flights. These Indians had been flown out to Qatar on US and NATO flights over the past few days.
{{/usCountry}}People familiar with the developments said on condition of anonymity that there were no specific figures for the Indians who remained in Afghanistan, though the indications were that this would be a low number. Efforts are still on to register all Indians who are still in the war-torn country and evacuate them as quickly as possible along with Afghan nationals, including Sikhs and Hindus.
The people acknowledged that Afghan citizens granted Indian visas were facing problems in accessing Kabul airport. “The Taliban are specifically checking for people with Afghan passports and Indian visas and driving them back,” one of the people said.
Another problem in evacuations is the journey from different parts of Kabul to the airport because the Taliban have set up check posts across the capital. Adding to the worries of the Indian side are reports that terrorists from Pakistan-based groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Haqqani Network are present among the Taliban.
The C-130 aircraft that went to Kabul also flew in a small team of Indian officials who are currently stationed at the airport to help with further evacuations and to liaise with the US and other countries for assistance. US and foreign troops are currently playing a key role in escorting people into the airport, especially those being threatened by the Taliban.
Dushanbe will continue to remain a key centre for Indian evacuation flights as there are limited space and time slots at Kabul airport.
As reports emerged of Taliban fighters opening fire and using harsh methods to control thousands of people converging on Kabul airport, the US embassy issued a security alert on Saturday advising American citizens to avoid travelling to the airport because of “potential security threats outside the gates”. Around 20 people have died at the airport over the past week.
The US alert was issued following intelligence reports that the Islamic State could target Americans or flights in the Afghan capital.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, a rarely used programme, to compel six commercial airlines to provide 18 aircraft to speed up the evacuation efforts. The Guardian reported the perceived threat from the Islamic State had led US military planes to “perform rapid, diving combat landings” at Kabul. Other aircraft fired flares on takeoff to confuse possible heat-seeking missiles targeting planes.