New Delhi: India is pulling its personnel from the last fully-staffed consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province, where intense clashes resumed between Taliban and government forces near the provincial capital.
The Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif posted on its Twitter account that a special plane would be arriving on Tuesday night. “Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening,” said the consulate’s tweet.
(2/2) Indian citizens desiring to leave by special flight should immediately convey their full name, passport number, date of expiry by whatsapp at the following numbers:
0785891303
0785891301— India in Mazar (@IndianConsMazar) August 10, 2021
India had four consulates in Afghanistan. Two of them in Herat city and Jalalabad were closed down last year due to the security situation and pandemic reasons.
Last month, India withdrew around 50 personnel from the consulate in Kandahar by sending a special Indian Air Force flight. Technically, the consulate in Kandahar remains open as local Afghan staff have taken over day-to-day functions so far.
For now, a similar number of India-based personnel will also be withdrawn from Mazar-e-Sharif, which will also remain open with help from local employees.
In the last few days, Taliban has taken over five provincial capitals: Zaranj in Nimruz, Takhar’s Taloqan, Sheberghan in Jawzjan, Sar-e-Pul and Aybak, capital of Samangan. The targeting of cities has marked a new phase in Taliban’s military strategy which has escalated the fighting to urban areas in Afghanistan.
The violence has intensified as the deadline for all foreign troops withdrawing from Afghanistan looms closer. While the battlefields remains active, there is stalemate in diplomacy, with intra-Afghan talks yet to restart.
On August 11, the four ‘Troika plus’ countries – US, Iran, Russia and Pakistan – are scheduled to meet in Doha to push both sides to start talking and reach and agreement before the final deadline of withdrawal of foreign troops.
Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh’s capital city, was one of the three new cities where the Taliban had increased pressure on local security forces, said Tolo News. The Indian consulate had jurisdiction over five provinces, three of which are now already under Taliban control.
According to Voice of America, there is anxiety inside Mazar-e-Sharif amidst reports of Taliban advancing in their military campaign. With videos showing fire in several parts of the city, residents have been preparing for an exodus, with ATMs having lines of people waiting to withdraw their money.
As per the report, the central part of the city has become deserted, with shops shutting down and business coming to a standstill.