External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the movement of the Indian Ambassador and the Embassy staff from war-torn Afghanistan to India was a "difficult and complicated exercise" as he thanked those who cooperated and facilitated the efforts.
Jaishankar, who is in the US on a four-day visit to attend a number of UN Security Council events, including a briefing on terrorism that will be held under India's presidency of the powerful body, took to Twitter to share details about New Delhi’s efforts to get Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon and the Embassy staff out from Kabul.
“Movement of the Indian Ambassador and the Embassy staff from Kabul to India was a difficult and complicated exercise. Thank all those whose cooperation and facilitation made it possible,” he said in a tweet.
Jaishankar’s visit to New York is taking place in the backdrop of the Taliban's rapid onslaught in Afghanistan and the issue is likely to figure in his talks with UN officials.
The C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force carrying around 150 people, including diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians, landed at the Hindon airbase near the national capital at around 5 PM after a brief halt at Jamnagar in Gujarat, in the wake of escalating tension, fear and uncertainty gripping the Afghan capital after its take over by the Taliban two days back.
It is the second evacuation flight as another C-17 aircraft brought back around 40 people from the Hamid Karzai International (HKI) Airport in Kabul on Monday as part of India's emergency evacuation mission that was carried out following coordination with relevant authorities including US officials handling security at the airport in the Afghan capital.