India on Sunday evacuated nearly 540 people, including 475 of its nationals, who were in Afghanistan on four flights from different destinations as the government sped up efforts to bring back all citizens after the situation at Kabul airport deteriorated further.
A total of 87 Indians and two Nepalese citizens were flown from the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe to Delhi in a special Air India flight on Sunday morning. They were earlier evacuated from Kabul to Dushanbe in a C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday. Another 168 people, including 107 Indians and 23 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, were flown out of Kabul in a C-17 heavy lift aircraft and reached the Hindan airbase later on Sunday. Afghan lawmakers Anarkali Honaryar and Narender Singh Khalsa and their families were among the Sikhs and Hindus.
They were escorted into Kabul airport by international forces after the Taliban prevented a group of more than 70 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from entering the area on Saturday.
As reports emerged of Taliban fighters opening fire and using harsh methods to control thousands of people converging on Kabul airport, the US embassy issued a security alert on Saturday advising American citizens to avoid travelling to the airport because of “potential security threats outside the gates”. Around 20 people have died at the airport over the past week.
News Source : Zoom News
