India flies back staff, empties Kabul office
Jaishankar calls it ‘difficult and complicated’ exercise
Indian diplomats in Kabul, including ambassador Rudrendra Tandon as well as security personnel, were flown back to New Delhi in two phases by Tuesday afternoon by Indian Air Force (IAF) C17 Globemaster aircraft, after New Delhi decided it was just too dangerous for Indian diplomats to remain in Kabul after the Taliban takeover.
About 120 Indian diplomats and security personnel were flown back to India from Kabul — through a longer route via Iranian airspace to avoid Pakistan — to the Hindon airbase at Ghaziabad near Delhi after they first landed at Jamnagar in Gujarat. There is now no Indian diplomatic presence left in the strife-torn nation.
External affairs minister S. Jaishankar, meanwhile, tweeted that the movement of the Indian ambassador and the embassy staff from Kabul to India had been a “difficult and complicated exercise” and “thanked all those whose cooperation and facilitation made it possible”.
The Indian diplomats apparently faced problems initially while travelling from the Indian embassy to the airport due to the presence of Taliban-controlled checkpoints, but sources said there was no specific targeting of Indian diplomats on their way to the airport.
New Delhi was also coordinating with the United States, which is currently controlling Kabul airport, amidst reports that Doval had spoken to US national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The MEA has constituted a “Special Afghanistan Cell” to process repatriation requests. India also thanked France for evacuating 21 Indians from Kabul to Paris.