MEA closely monitoring security situation in Afghanistan; 'safety of Indians paramount'

The safety and security of Indian personnel is paramount, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday, as it evacuated the staff posted in its consulate in Kandahar amid a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. 

"India is closely monitoring the evolving security situation in Afghanistan. The safety and security of our personnel is paramount," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.

He further clarified that the Consulate General of India in Kandahar has not been closed, but Indian diplomats have been flown back for time being due to the intense fighting near the city. He also emphasized that it is a purely temporary measure until the situation stabilizes and that the Consulate continues to operate through local staff members. At least 50 India-based personnel have been evacuated by a special flight from Kandahar, sources said on Sunday.

Referring to the functioning of visa and consular services in capital city Kabul, he said, "Arrangements are being made to ensure continued delivery of visa and consular services through our Embassy in Kabul. As an important partner of Afghanistan, India remains committed to a peaceful, sovereign, and democratic Afghanistan," he added.

Describing the security situation in Afghanistan as fluid and deteriorating, the Afghan envoy to India Farid Mamundzay has said the Taliban need to cease violence and there should be an end to the bloodshed.

"More than 200,000 Afghan civilians are displaced already. There is an active fight going on between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters in 200 districts out of a total of 375. There is also trouble in 18 border districts that share a border with several countries Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran," the envoy said.

Taliban takes control of Afghanistani territories

On July 9, Taliban announced that it now controls 85 percent of Afghanistan's territory. The revelation was made by Shahabuddin Delawar, a key negotiator for the fundamentalist group, who boasted that the controlled area now encompasses 250 out of 398 districts. 

With US and NATO troops almost out of the Central Asian country, the Taliban is inching closer to re-establish the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. According to a report by BBC, the militants have successfully captured over two-thirds of the country including five districts in Herat. 

On Saturday, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani accused the Taliban of the ongoing violence in the country in which at least 200 to 600 people are killed every day, as per reports. Ghani asked the nation to stay united in support for independence, the republic, and coexistence. He also stated that the Taliban should not accept the Durand Line as the official border line between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as wanted by Pakistan. The Durand Line is the 2,670 km (1,660 mi) international land border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in South Asia.