India has evacuated all embassy staff but an estimated 1,000 citizens remain in several Afghan cities.
A special repatriation flight by the Indian Air Force carrying 168 passengers, including 107 Indians is on its way to Delhi from Kabul. Also, two other flights – Air India and IndiGo carrying Indians evacuated from Kabul landed in Delhi from Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe and Qatar’s Doha this morning.
Arindam Bagchi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson posted pictures of the evacuation efforts on Twitter.
India has been allowed to operate two flights per day from Kabul to evacuate its nationals stranded in Afghanistan, news agency ANI reported quoting government sources.
The permission was granted by American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces which have been controlling operations of the Hamid Karzai International Airport after Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15.
Bagchi posted details of the evacuation efforts by Air India and IndiGo flights in a string of tweets earlier. He also posted a short video clip where the evacuees can be seen chanting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, adding more evacuation flights will follow.
Evacuation continues!
IAF special repatriation flight with 168 passengers onboard, including 107 Indian nationals, is on its way to Delhi from Kabul. pic.twitter.com/ysACxClVdX— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) August 22, 2021
Also read: 150 Indians, Allegedly Abducted By Taliban, Are Safe: Report
Keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic, all passengers will have to undergo an RT-PCR test upon landing, said a top government source.
Earlier, Indian citizens waiting outside Kabul airport for evacuation flights were taken to a nearby police station for questioning and checking of travel documents, a top government source said, amid worrying reports from local media that they had been abducted by the Taliban.
The Taliban’s ‘picking up’ of Indian citizens came hours after an Air Force transport aircraft managed to evacuate around 85 Indians from Kabul.
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