Afghanistan crisis: Indian Air Force aircraft evacuates 85 Indians from Kabul

According to reports, the evacuees were dropped off at Dushanbe in Tajikistan, from where they will be picked up by an Air India plane.

The Indian Air Force evacuated 85 Indians from Kabul in C-130J transport aircraft on Saturday morning. According to reports, the plane landed in Tajikistan for refuelling. The evacuees were dropped off at Dushanbe in Tajikistan, from where they will be picked up by an Air India plane.

India evacuated its diplomats and security personnel in two operations from the war-torn country but around 1,000 citizens are still stranded in different parts of Afghanistan.

Reportedly, another IAF aircraft, C-17 transport, is on standby to fly to the capital city of Afghanistan to bring back home 150-180 Indian citizens, as soon as they reach the airport. According to reports, the government is trying to bring a maximum number of Indians inside the Kabul airport as it is relatively safe but they are facing challenges in locating all Indians as all of them had not registered themselves with the embassy.

Around 200 Sikhs and Hindus have taken refuge inside a gurudwara in Kabul since Sunday. As per reports, at least 12 people have been killed in and around the Kabul airport since the Taliban took over Afghanistan.