Foreign Secy assures Afghan envoy of India’s long-term commitment to Afghanistan

New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): Afghanistan Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay on Tuesday briefed Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on the security situation in Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of US troops from the war-torn country and escalating violence by the Taliban.

“Foreign Secretary Shringla assured our Afghan friends of India’s long term commitment towards peace and prosperity in Afghanistan,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said today.

Bagchi tweeted that Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla was pleased to welcome Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India.

India has said that it is likely to bring back its nationals and officials from Afghanistan amid the rapidly deteriorating security situation there with the Taliban capturing new territories.

India, which has had a big presence in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 following the US invasion, has been helping the successive governments there including the members of the northern alliance who have been friends with India for a long time.

“With the Afghan security situation deteriorating, plans have been discussed for bringing back our citizens and officials present in different parts of that country and multiple agencies are in discussion for this purpose,” sources in the government told ANI.

India has its embassy in Kabul along with the consulates in Kandahar and Mazar where it has over 500 staff deployed.

Two consulates in Herat and Jalalabad had ceased operations earlier there.

The process is under discussion and it is not clear whether the entire workforce would return or some essential staff would be staying back in Afghanistan. Indian military officials have also been assisting in training the Afghan National Army personnel both in Afghanistan and India as well, the sources said.

In view of the US decision to withdraw the entire force from Afghanistan, the Taliban troops have been capturing newer districts and areas at a lightning speed and the Afghan government forces are also fleeing from a number of places there.

In Kandahar, the Taliban have captured important bridges and roads connecting the city with other parts and the Afghan officials are also taking steps to ensure their own security, reports from Afghanistan suggested.

India has worked immensely for the redevelopment of Afghanistan and helped it to construct Parliament building along with several roads connecting important cities of the war-torn country.

A large number of Afghan people have been receiving training in different skills as India has spent billions of dollars for capability enhancement of Afghan personnel. (ANI)