Around 150 Indian citizens picked up by the Taliban this morning have been released.
Around 150 Indian citizens picked up by the Taliban this morning have been released and are now inside Kabul airport, sources have told NDTV, adding that they will be airlifted out of war-torn Afghanistan soon.
Indian citizens waiting outside Kabul airport for evacuation flights were taken to a nearby police station for questioning and checking of travel documents, a top government source said, amid worrying reports from local media that they had been abducted.
This comes hours after an Indian Air Force transport aircraft managed to evacuate around 85 Indians from Kabul; the plane has landed safely in Dushanbe in Tajikistan.
Sources this morning had said that the government is trying to bring as many Indians as possible into the airport at Kabul to keep them safe while it works out the evacuation logistics.
India has evacuated all embassy staff but an estimated 1,000 citizens remain in several cities in the war-torn country, and ascertaining their location and condition is proving to be a challenge, a Home Ministry official had said, since not all of them registered themselves with the embassy.
Among those are around 200 Sikhs and Hindus who have taken refuge at a gurudwara in Kabul.
Late Wednesday a spokesperson for the Taliban - which has been trying to project a more moderate image - released a video statement of the gurudwara head saying he had been assured of their safety.
Here are the Updates on Afghanistan-Taliban crisis:
Indigo flight from Doha landed at 4:35 am
Indigo flight from Doha, carrying citizen evacuated from Afghanistan, landed at 4:35 am.
Air India Evacuates 87, Flight Departs For New Delhi
"Bringing Indians home from Afghanistan! AI 1956 carrying 87 Indians departs from Tajikistan for New Delhi. Two Nepalese nationals also evacuated. Assisted and supported by our Embassy @IndEmbDushanbe. More evacuation flights to follow," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
"No Milk For Kid, No Water": Mother Of Indian Woman Waiting Outside Kabul AirportAs India scrambles to evacuate its citizens from Kabul following the Taliban's take-over of the city earlier this week, hundreds, including women and hapless children, are caught in trying conditions. The Air Force has flown several sorties over the past few days to airlift people, but many remain scared, tired, and desperate.
The mother of one such Indian citizen, waiting outside the airport in the Afghan capital, spoke to NDTV about the nightmare her daughter and two-year-old grandson are living through.
The 32-year-old, married to a citizen of Afghanistan, has been waiting there for the past three days in the hope of being taken to safety.
The Haqqani Network: Afghanistan's Most Feared TerroristsSome of the Taliban's top leaders are gathering in Kabul to discuss the formation of a new Afghan government -- including a representative from the Haqqani network, the country's most feared terrorists.
The Haqqanis have been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in recent years, claiming the lives of civilians, government officials and foreign forces.
'We Have Hours' - US Army Captain Pushes For Rescue Of Afghan Interpreter
Fearing there may only be hours to stave off a capture, a former U.S. army captain who served in the war in Afghanistan is lobbying for the rescue of his former interpreter. Scott Henkel served during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006 and 2007 as an army Alpha team leader. In an interview, Henkel said he spent "the entirety" of his time in Afghanistan with his interpreter whom he called "Kevin," his nickname, to protect his identity. Henkel also declined to specify the province where the two worked together.
150 Indians Picked Up By Taliban In Kabul, Not In Danger: Government Sources
Around 150 Indian citizens, were picked up by the Taliban from outside the gates of Kabul airport in war-torn Afghanistan this morning while they were waiting for an evacuation flight, according to a top government source.
Read Here Taliban Co-Founder In Afghan Capital As Evacuation Scramble Continues
The Taliban's senior leadership was gathering in the Afghan capital Saturday to map out a future "inclusive" government, as desperation deepened for thousands still scrambling to leave the country via a chaotic evacuation operation. A senior Taliban official told AFP that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar -- who co-founded the group -- would meet "jihadi leaders and politicians for an inclusive government set-up". Taliban officials said they included a top official of the Haqqani network, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States with million-dollar bounties on its leadership.
JUST IN: Around 150 people, many of whom are believed to be Indian citizens, have been abducted by Taliban fighters from outside the gates of Kabul airport, according to reports by local media.
Taliban Co-Founder Baradar In Kabul For Talks On Setting Up Government: Official
The Taliban's co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kabul on Saturday for talks with fellow members of the group and other politicians on establishing a new Afghan government. "He will be in Kabul to meet jihadi leaders and politicians for an inclusive government set-up," a senior Taliban official told AFP.
Air Force's Special Flight Evacuates Over 85 Indians From Kabul: Report
An Air Force C-130J transport aircraft took off from Kabul this morning with 85 people on board, news agency ANI reported, as the government continues efforts to evacuate Indian citizens from the Afghan capital. The plane landed in Tajikistan for refueling, ANI said quoting sources.
Read Here Armed Revolt Recaptures Afghan Districts From Taliban: Report
Taliban terrorists lost control of Afghanistan's Pol-e-Hesar district of northern Baghlan province after they came in conflict with armed uprising on Friday, a media report said. However, local residents claim that two other districts Deh Salah and Qasaan have also been recaptured from the Taliban, Afghanistan's Khaama Press said on Friday.
Taliban Vow To Be Accountable, Probe Reports Of Afghanistan Reprisals
The Taliban will be accountable for its actions and will investigate reports of reprisals and atrocities carried out by members, an official of the Islamist militant group told Reuters on Saturday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that the group planned to ready a new model for governing Afghanistan within the next few weeks. It has been just a week since the Taliban completed a lighting fast takeover of the country, finally walking into Kabul last Sunday without firing a shot.
Taliban Harassing Press "At All Levels" In Afghanistan: US
The US government is raising with Taliban officials whom it engages "at all levels" the growing number of reports that the terrorists are harassing the press following its occupation of the Afghan capital Kabul, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters. "We're raising them on all levels with our interlocutors," Price said at the daily State Department press briefing on Friday when asked about reports of Taliban harassing media.
Desperation Deepens As Afghan Evacuations Falter
Desperation deepened around Kabul's airport on Saturday with evacuation operations in chaos and US President Joe Biden warning he could not predict the outcome of one of the "most difficult airlifts in history". Six days after the Taliban took back power in Afghanistan, the flow of people trying to flee their feared hardline Islamist rule continued to overwhelm the international community.
Boris Johnson Says UK Will Work With Taliban If Necessary
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday Britain would work with the Taliban if necessary after the militants capture of Afghanistan, and defended his foreign minister who has come under fire for his handling of the situation. "What I want to assure people is that our political and diplomatic efforts to find a solution for Afghanistan, working with the Taliban, of course if necessary, will go on," Johnson told media.
Taliban Websites Disappear From Internet, Reason Unclear: Report
The official websites of the Taliban, who swept to power in Afghanistan on the back of a lightning offensive last week, appeared to have vanished from the internet late on Friday. It was not immediately clear whether a technical fault or something else was to blame.
Allies Not Questioning US "Credibility" Over Afghanistan Withdrawal: Joe Biden
The chaos around the Kabul airport was so bad this week that the US military was forced to use three helicopters to transport 169 Americans into the complex from a building just 200 meters (656 feet) away, the Pentagon said on Friday. As Western nations struggled to ramp up the pace of evacuations from Afghanistan amid the chaos and reports of Taliban violence, US President Joe Biden confronted criticism about his administration's planning for the withdrawal of US troops and the terrorist group' swift takeover of the country.
Kabul Evacuation Among "Most Difficult" In History: Joe Biden
President Joe Biden sought Friday to reassure the United States on the dramatic evacuation from Afghanistan, promising no Americans would be abandoned in one of the "most difficult" airlifts in history. Widely criticized over the chaotic exit after a sudden Taliban victory, Biden warned that the frantic effort to fly Americans, other foreigners and Afghan allies out of Taliban-occupied Kabul was dangerous.
Taliban Harassing Press "At All Levels" In Afghanistan: USThe US government is raising with Taliban officials whom it engages "at all levels" the growing number of reports that the terrorists are harassing the press following its occupation of the Afghan capital Kabul, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
Air Force Special Flight Ready For Evacuation Mission From Kabul: Sources
A C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force is on standby to fly to Kabul and bring home Indian nationals who are stuck in the war-torn country after the Taliban takeover, sources have said. The IAF aircraft will go to Kabul as soon as enough Indian nationals are able to move to the airport in the Afghan capital, the sources said.
India is working closely with the US government to facilitate movement of the IAF transport aircraft to Kabul, sources said. The government is hopeful up to 250 Indians can be evacuated in this C-17, but it depends on how many of them are able to reach the airport as the Taliban is in control of the city, controlling movement and checkpoints. (Read full story
here)
US Deployed Helicopters To Rescue 169 Americans In Kabul Operation
The US military in Afghanistan sent helicopters to rescue over 150 Americans unable to reach the Kabul airport gates, an official said Friday, in the first evidence that US forces were willing and able to go beyond the US-secured compound to help people seeking evacuation. (Read full story
here)
World Bank's Kabul-Based Staff Evacuated To Pakistan: ReportThe World Bank Group's Kabul-based staff and their immediate families have been safely evacuated to Islamabad, according to an internal staff memo issued on Friday and seen by Reuters.
The World Bank has not commented on the status of its operations and engagement in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control of Kabul earlier this week.
A report by Radio Pakistan said that foreigners and Afghans attached to the World Bank and other international organizations were among 350 people to arrive in Islamabad from Kabul aboard a special Pakistan International Airlines flight.
Taliban Websites Disappear From Internet, Reason Unclear: ReportThe official websites of the Taliban, who swept to power in Afghanistan on the back of a lightning offensive last week, appeared to have vanished from the internet late on Friday.
It was not immediately clear whether a technical fault or something else was to blame.
The Taliban operate separate websites in Pashto, Dari, Arabic, Urdu and English. All five appeared to be unreachable on Friday.
US Deployed Helicopters To Rescue 169 Americans In Kabul OperationThe US military in Afghanistan deployed three helicopters to rescue 169 Americans unable to reach the Kabul airport gates to leave the country, an official said Friday.
In the first evidence that US forces are willing and able to go beyond the US-secured airport to help people seeking evacuation, three Chinook helicopters flew to pick up the group of US citizens at the Baron hotel, not far from the airport, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
The group had planned to walk to the Abbey Gate of the airport, but a crowd was gathered there and US officials were concerned for the Americans' safety.
"There was a large crowd established outside the Abbey Gate, a crowd, that, not everybody had confidence in, in terms of their ability to walk through it, and so local commanders on the scene took the initiative and flew these helicopters out there to pick them up," Kirby said.
Earlier, President Joe Biden mentioned the rescue in a speech, but gave few details.