The worsening security scenario in major parts of Afghanistan with Taliban claiming that it now controls 85 percent of the country, India has evacuated around 50 diplomats and security personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) from its Consulate General of India in Kandahar. However, the Ministry of External Affairs on July 11 said that the consulate is now being operating through local staff members for emergency services.
In response to the media queries on the Indian Consulate in Kandahar, MEA's spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that it has not been closed.
"India is closely monitoring the evolving security situation in Afghanistan. The safety and security of our personnel is paramount. The Consulate General of India in Kandahar has not been closed. However, due to the intense fighting near Kandahar city, India based personnel have been brought back for the time being. I want to emphasize that this is a purely temporary measure until the situation stabilizes. The Consulate continues to operate through our local staff members," said Bagchi in a statement issued by the ministry.
He further said that arrangements are being made to ensure continued delivery of visa and consular services through Indian Embassy in Kabul.
Earlier in the day, news agency PTI reported that a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force was sent on July 10 to bring back the Indian diplomats, officials and other staff members including a group of ITBP personnel.
On July 6, the Indian embassy in Kabul said there was no plan to close the embassy and the consulates in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif. It, however, said that it was closely monitoring the evolving security situation, particularly around the cities of Kandahar and Mazar.
"Media reports on #India closing its Embassy & Consulates in AF are incorrect. @IndianEmbKabul, Consulates in Kandahar & Mazar are open, functioning. We DO HOWEVER continue to closely monitor the evolving security situation particularly around Kandahar & Mazar cities," the embassy said in a July 6 tweet.
Two days later, the MEA said that India was carefully monitoring the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and its implications on the safety and security of Indian nationals.
"Our response will be calibrated accordingly," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing on July 8
Last week, the embassy had asked all Indians visiting, staying, and working in Afghanistan to exercise the utmost caution with regard to their security and avoid all types of non-essential travel in view of a rising number of incidents of violence in various parts of the country.
In an advisory, the embassy said the security situation in Afghanistan remains "dangerous" and that terror groups have carried out a series of complex attacks, including targeting civilians, adding that Indian nationals additionally face a "serious threat" of abduction.
Afghanistan witnessed a series of attacks in the last few weeks as the United States looked to complete the withdrawal of its forces from the war-ravaged country by September 11, ending nearly two decades of its military presence there.
On July 9, the Taliban claimed that they now control 85 percent of Afghanistan's territory. The announcement came at a press conference at the end of a visit by a senior Taliban delegation to Moscow this week a trip meant to offer assurances that the insurgents' quick gains in Afghanistan do not threaten Russia or its allies in Central Asia.
The claim, which is impossible to verify, was considerably higher than previous Taliban statements that more than a third of the country's 421 districts and district centers were in their control.
(With inputs from agencies)