Indian personnel quit Kandahar consulate after intense fighting
Ministry describes evacuation as a ‘purely temporary measure until the situation stabilises,’ and said the consulate ‘continues to operate through our local staff members’
India evacuated all its India-based personnel from Kandahar on Saturday evening by special flight, as Taliban advanced into the city, amidst fighting and violence.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “The consulate general of India in Kandahar has not been closed. However, due to the intense fighting near Kandahar city, Indiabased personnel have been brought back for the time being.”
He described the evacuation as a “purely temporary measure until the situation stabilises,” and said the consulate “continues to operate through our local staff members.”
The Indian mission is now manned only by the local Afghan staff who work for the Indian government.
For the time being, the Mazar-e-sharif consulate is still open, and with Indian personnel, but that may not be for too long as the Taliban sweep through the western part of Afghanistan.
The Kabul embassy is the only one that is still fully functional with Indian personnel.
The Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, Rudrendra Tandon discussed the deteriorating security situation with the new Afghan defense minister Bismillah Khan Mohammedi earlier this week.
The Indian government on Thursday indicated that they were watching the situation “carefully” — and pulled out Indians on Saturday.
India had already closed down its missions in Jalalabad and Herat in 2020, citing Covid, but it was clear that the security situation had played a part.
Despite some overly optimistic assessments by the departing US military forces, the Afghan government security forces are collapsing with barely a fight.
The Taliban too are playing a smarter game this time — by controlling and closing off the northern borders as well as on the Iranian side — to prevent the growth of any Northern Alliance-like formation to challenge them.
Security sources here don’t give Afghanistan more than a few weeks, before Taliban control all of the country. At this point, the hardliner group control over 85 per cent of Afghanistan.
Most other countries, from Australia to China as well as the Nato countries have all pulled out their personnel. The Afghan Taliban has activated its traditional support from among Pakistan’s terror groups like Lashkar-e-taiba.
Several IDS of Pakistan security forces have also been found, indicating they are fighting alongside the Taliban.
Over the last few weeks, Afghanistan witnessed a series of terror atacks as the US looked to complete the withdrawal of its forces by the end of August, ending its military presence in the war-ravaged country for nearly two decades.
Amid growing concerns in India - which has been supporting the peace and reconstruction efforts - Afghan Ambassador Farid Mamundzay briefed Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on the ground situation on Tuesday.
The Indian embassy has asked all Indians visiting, staying and working in Afghanistan to exercise the utmost caution and avoid all non-essential travel in the country.
In its advisory, the embassy said the security situation remains “dangerous” and terror groups have carried out a series of atacks targeting civilians. Indian nationals additionally face a “serious threat” of kidnapping, the ministry said.
Afghanistan was invaded by the US in 2001 shortly ater the Sept.11 atacks that year carried by Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaida.
However, officials had then said that India was closely tracking the deteriorating security situation across Afghanistan and all steps will be taken to ensure that Indian officials and nationals were not put in harm’s way.
“India is closely monitoring the evolving security situation in Afghanistan. The safety and security of our personnel is paramount,” Bagchi said.
Arrangements are being made to ensure continued delivery of visa and consular services through the Indian embassy in Kabul.
“As an important partner of Afghanistan’s, India remains commited to a peaceful, sovereign and democratic Afghanistan,” Bagchi said.
Among those flown out to New Delhi were diplomats, support staff and guards from the Indo-tibetan Border Police, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.