Three Indian engineers airlifted from Taliban controlled area

Kabul [Afghanistan], August 13 (ANI): Three Indian engineers in Afghanistan had to be rescued from a Dam project site in an area not under the control of government forces, India’s embassy in Kabul has informed.

This comes as the Taliban has claimed to capture over 10 provincial capitals. The latest city to fall into the hands of the terrorist group is Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-biggest city. In an advisory issued on Thursday, the embassy stated that precautions and security measures advised for Indian nationals in earlier advisories continue to remain valid.

“All Indian nationals in Afghanistan are once again requested to strictly adhere to the measures advocated,” the advisory said. Embassy of India in Kabul once again underscores the need for all Indian nationals to fully adhere to steps in the security advisories provided from time to time, it added.

This is the fourth advisory issued for Indian nationals in Afghanistan. Earlier, three advisories dated June 29, July 24 and August 10. The latest advisory further stated that special attention is once again drawn to members of the Indian media arriving in Afghanistan for ground reporting.

“As a recent tragic incident demonstrated, the public profile of Indian journalists in Afghanistan entails additional risks. It is therefore advised that members of the Indian media should take additional security measures for their stay and movements inside Afghanistan including tying up of interviews and planned coverage before arrival in Afghanistan, as well as identifying well-established security logistic firms who can make necessary security arrangements for stay and movement of the journalists,” it added.

Earlier on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said India had issued an advisory for Indian nationals to leave Afghanistan through commercial means and there is no formal evacuation mechanism. During a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India is closely monitoring developments and is concerned about deteriorating security situations.

This alarm on security concern is being raised at a time when participants in the Afghan peace talks met in Doha. They issued a joint statement calling for accelerating the peace process between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban.

“Participants agreed that the peace process needs to be accelerated as a matter of great urgency on the basis of the negotiations of concrete proposals from both sides,” the joint statement said. Head of India’s delegation Jitender Pal Singh with India’s ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal also took part in Afghan Peace talks in Doha. (ANI)