Amidst a huge chaos in Afghanistan after Taliban takeover the country, a C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force has been kept on a standby mode to take-off for Kabul and bring back the Indian nationals, stuck in the war-ravaged country. According to the sources, the aircraft will take-off, once enough Indian nationals will be able to make their way to Kabul airport, as the Taliban is controlling the movement and checkpoints in the country.
The Government of India is hopeful to at least evacuate up to 250 Indian nationals in the aircraft and is closely working with the US government to facilitate movement of the C-17 transport aircraft to the Afghan capital’s airport. The IAF is on standby, as operating an Air India flight to Kabul has been difficult. Also, an estimated 400 Indians may need to be evacuated, with the exact figure being unclear at present.
Two IAF C-17s flew into Kabul to evacuate Indian embassy personnel, including Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel tasked with guarding them. The first aircraft took off under very challenging circumstances amidst the chaos at Kabul airport where thousands of Afghans had arrived with a hope to fly off their country.
However, at the moment, visa applications of Afghan nationals are also under assessment by the Home Ministry, said the sources.
