Stranded in Kabul, Telangana worker fires desperate plea for rescue

HYDERABAD: Amid escalating tension in Kabul, a 44-year-old man from Mancherial is crying for help. B Rajanna, who had landed in Kabul on August 8, has urged the Indian government to evacuate him to safety.
Rajanna, who works as a supervisor in a construction company, had gone back to the war-torn Kabul after his 22-day leave period got over. Though the situation around Kabul International Airport calmed down on Tuesday after two days of chaos with the Taliban setting up security posts, Rajanna is not sure if he can return soon to Telangana with commercial flights not allowed to take off. He said he had a return ticket for August 18 from Kabul to Delhi.
While his wife, daughter and other family members in Mancherial are worried about his safety, Rajanna said he is safe in a camp put up by his company in Kabul. Asked what made him travel to Kabul when the situation was clearly getting out of hand, Rajanna told TOI over phone that he did not anticipate that it would take a turn for worse. “We knew that the Taliban would take control of the country, but what happened in the last few days was very quick The swift collapse of Afghan forces took us all by surprise,” Rajanna, who has been working in Afghanistan for the last four years, said. He had come down to Mancherial on July 18 to spend time with his family by availing his annual leave.

While international forces scrambled to get their nationals out of the country, Rajanna said thousands of panicked people trying to escape on Monday after the Taliban took control of the country was heartbreaking. “Little did I imagine that I will be caught in the same situation when I had landed in Kabul ten days ago. I have been left speechless by the situation in Afghanistan,” he said. He said he heard gunshots on August 15 from a place not far away from where he had been camping. “There is a sense of fear all over the city. Luckily, there is no problem for food and accommodation,” he said. Another worker from Karimnagar is also working in the same company, he said. Meanwhile, social worker P Basanth Reddy said they will take up the issue of Rajanna’s return with the Centre immediately.