78 people, evacuated from Afghanistan, land in Delhi today
A special Air India flight carrying 78 people, including 25 Indian nationals, reached New Delhi from Tajikistan's Dushanbe on Tuesday. The evacuees were flown out of the Afghan capital Kabul via an aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on August 15, triggering panic and chaos. Here are more details.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted the update
"Helping in the safe return from Afghanistan. AI 1956 enroute to Delhi from Dushanbe carrying 78 passengers, including 25 Indian nationals. Evacuees were flown in from Kabul on an @IAF_MCC aircraft," Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the MEA, tweeted.
You can view the tweets here
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 24, 2021
More evacuations are reportedly lined up
India is expected to evacuate more people, including its nationals as well as Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, from Kabul. Three copies of the Guru Granth Sahib and 75 people will be flown out of Afghanistan on an IAF plane, according to Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. "Three Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji are being escorted to the IAF aircraft at Kabul Airport," he tweeted.
India has brought back hundreds of staffers, nationals
On Sunday, India brought back nearly 400 people in three different flights as part of its evacuation efforts. Further, more than 100 people reached India via various flights on Monday. Earlier, India had evacuated its ambassador to Afghanistan, Rudrendra Tandon, and nearly 200 staff members and security personnel. The Taliban has maintained it would not harm foreign diplomats and nationals.
What is happening in Afghanistan?
The Taliban, a group of insurgents infamous for violence and infringing human rights, regained control of Afghanistan earlier this month. They had seized many key cities before reaching Kabul in a matter of days. Former President Ashraf Ghani also fled the country on August 15. The group's return coincided with the United States' decision to withdraw troops after 20 years of war.
