India To Evacuate All Diplomats From Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif Amid Tensions With Taliban

India is set to evacuate all diplomats from its mission in Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan

Image: AFP

New Delhi: India will evacuate its diplomats from its consulate in Mazar E Sharif in Afghanistan amid escalating tensions with Taliban. This comes after the Centre had brought back Indian diplomats from the Kandahar mission earlier.

Soon all the Indian staff will be brought to India safely from Mazar e Sharif, the fourth largest city of Afghanistan. A more stringent security warning is being issued for all Indian citizens in Afghanistan.

The decision comes amid intensified fighting between Taliban fighters and Afghan security forces in Afghanistan's Balkh and Takhar provinces. Taliban has captured several areas of northern Balkh. Mazar-e-Sharif is the capital of Balkh province and the fourth largest city in Afghanistan.

Special flight to bring back Indian diplomats

A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening, said the Consulate General of India in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan

 Indian citizens desiring to leave by special flight should immediately convey their full name, passport number, date of expiry by WhatsApp at the following numbers: 0785891303, 0785891301

Significantly, India has already withdrawn its diplomats and staff from the consulate in Kandahar in view of the increasing violence in Afghanistan. Also, considering the safety of ots staff, India has temporarily stopped the work after bringing back its staff from the consulates of Herat and Jalalabad.

The US has already called back the majority of its forces and is looking for a complete exit by August 31.

Meanwhile, the government has also indicated that the minority Hindus and Sikhs of Afghanistan will also be provided full help if they want to come to India on a temporary basis for safe haven. Government sources, however, clarified that there are no plans for any special evacuation operations or flights so far amid the ongoing movement of commercial flights from Kabul Airport in Afghanistan.

Tension and violence in Afghanistan are escalating day by day which is worrying the nations. Taliban has been making rapid advances across Afghanistan and even seized a sixth Afghan provincial capital on Monday following a weekend blitz across the north that saw urban centers fall in quick succession and the government struggle to keep the militants at bay.