Kandahar: India evacuates 50 diplomats amid rising violence; says didn't use PAK air space [key developments]

Less than a week after India said that it had no imminent plans to close its mission in Kabul and consulates in the cities of Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, come the increasingly deteriorating developments in Kandahar. On Saturday, following intense clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban, India evacuated more than 50 officials and security personnel from Kandahar in an air force aircraft.

In picture: The Kandahar military base in Afghanistan.Twitter/Doordarshan News

India has been closely monitoring the security situation across Afghanistan and on Sunday, in response to the media queries on the Indian Consulate in Kandahar, the official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the "safety and security of our personnel is paramount." In an official statement, he also said, "The Consulate General of India in Kandahar has not been closed. However, due to the intense fighting near Kandahar City, India based personnel have been brought back for the time being."

The statement further said, "I want to emphasize that this is a purely temporary measure until the situation stabilises. The Consulate continues to operate through our local staff members."

Afghan Taliban member.Reuters

Arrangements are also being made to ensure continued delivery of visa and consular services through Indian Embassy in Kabul. The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson further clarified that, "As an important partner of Afghanistan, India remains committed to a peaceful, sovereign and democratic Afghanistan." Among those flown out to New Delhi are diplomats, support staff, guards from the Indo-Tibetan border.

Taliban seizes key areas

Meanwhile, as per the emerging reports, the Taliban fighters seized key areas near the city in Southern Afghanistan.

Since last week, there have been escalated tensions and fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces. Some local reports say that militants entered Kandahar city and the surrounding areas on Friday after capturing key districts surrounding Kandahar. Taliban fighters seized houses in Kandahar city's seventh police district, a place from where 2000 families were displaced and forced into seeking refuge in others areas. The Afghan military says that about 70 Taliban fighters have been killed in the seventh police district but that's not a patch compared to the 7000 LeT fighters believed to be fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Pakistan issued Pro-Taliban statements less than a month ago

The unfortunate developments in Afghanistan have also brought under scanner the pro-Taliban statements given by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in an exclusive interview to an Afghan news channel, less than a month ago.

At the time he said, "Taliban has suffered as well and I think that they are ready for peace deal." He also said that violence and security situation in Afghanistan could not be simply put down on Taliban. ""Again you try and create this impression the violence is high because of Taliban. That would be an exaggeration. Aren't there other elements here who are playing the role of spoilers? Like forces within Afghanistan. Who came from the war economy who want to perpetuate their power."

The presence of hundreds of terrorists from Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Kandahar are believed to be behind the fighting and also India's decision to pull out officials from the city. It's also been only days since US forces abandoned Bagram airbase near Kabul. Post which, the district of Panjwai fell to the Taliban last weekend.

Didn't use Pakistan airspace

While issuing an advisory for all Indians visiting, staying and working in Afghanistan, Indian Embassy has asked for exercise of utmost caution and also to avoid all non-essential travel in the country. The embassy has called the situation in Kandahar "dangerous" and said that Indian nationals additionally face a serious threat of kidnapping. It also clarified on a few media reports suggesting that the special Air Force planes used to evacuate Indian diplomats used Pakistan air space, saying no such thing happened.

Taliban destroys Afghan-India friendship dam

Last week, at least 16 security personnel were killed in an attack by the Taliban at a security checkpoint on the Salma dam. The Salma dam has been India's most expensive infrastructural project in Afghanistan and it is also called Afghan-India friendship dam. The dam located on the Hari river in the Chishti Sharif District of Herat Province in western Afghanistan had fallen into the hands of Taliban and was attacked on Sunday night, as per local media source The Khaama Press. Some local reports also suggest that Afghan security forces have arrested a Pakistani national on charges of destroying the Salma dam.

Meanwhile, the Sayhoon News reported citing a statement by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that at least 307 Taliban militants were killed and wounded in counter-insurgency attacks carried out by Afghan Security and Defence Forces in different locations of the country over the past 24 hours on Sunday.