Indian diplomats in Mazar were also evacuated by this flight, ET has learnt. Earlier in the day, the Indian consulate had tweeted, “A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening.”
Around 1,500 Indians are currently staying in Afghanistan, according to government data.
Last month, India had pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar following clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters around the city. Earlier, Indian consulates in Herat and Jalalabad were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The embassy later put out a security advisory for Indian nationals visiting, staying and working in Afghanistan to keep themselves updated on the availability of commercial flights and make immediate arrangements to return to India before flight services are impacted. The advisory also asked Indian media persons in the country to get in touch with the embassy for specific advice on locations they are travelling to.
The Taliban had said on Monday that they have turned their sights on Mazar-i-Sharif. A spokesperson of the insurgents announced on social media that they have launched a four-pronged attack on the city. They have already captured Sheberghan to its west and Kunduz and Taloqan in the east.
Mazar-i-Sharif is the largest city in the north and considered a linchpin to the government’s control over the area.
Afghanistan’s long-running conflict has escalated dramatically since May, when the US-led military coalition began pulling out its forces.
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