Indians Captured By Taliban At Kabul Airport Safe, Says Govt; Group Denies Abduction Reports
The group of Indians had gone to the airport in eight caster-type vehicles at 1:00 am today, but could not enter the airport due to lack of coordination. They were waiting to be airlifted out of war-torn Afghanistan.
Around 150 Indian citizens were picked up by the Taliban from outside the gates of Kabul airport this morning, while they were waiting to be airlifted out of war-torn Afghanistan, a top government source told NDTV.
The Indians picked up by the Taliban are in no immediate danger, the government source said, adding that they were taken in trucks to a nearby police station where they are being questioned. Back-channel talks are ongoing to secure their release, the source said.
File: Parwiz/Reuters
A source said that Taliban affiliates had taken more than 150 people, most of them Indian nationals, from near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. The source added that these people included a number of Afghan citizens and Afghan Sikhs, but most of them were ordinary Indian citizens.
Indians allegedly held at garage near airport
Local news outlets in Kabul say Indians picked up by the Taliban are being held at a garage near the airport; the Taliban were reportedly checking travel papers and passports. It must be stressed that these are unconfirmed reports and India Times has no independent verification of this claim at this time.
Multiple Afghan journalists claim that over 100-150 Indians have been kidnapped by the Taliban from outside the Kabul airport. No official confirmation yet from Indian Government or US/NATO forces on ground. Indian Govt is monitoring closely.
¡ª Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 21, 2021
This is a DEVELOPING STORY. pic.twitter.com/OFBeIiu4Hy
The source along with his wife, however, managed to escape. These people had gone to the airport in eight caster-type vehicles at 1:00 am today, but could not enter the airport due to lack of coordination. According to the source, several unarmed Taliban members came to their side and, after beating them, took them all to Tarakhil in Kabul.
Taliban denies abduction reports
However, Ahmadullah Waseq, one of the Taliban spokesperson, has rejected the abduction of Indian citizens from Kabul. A report in The Indian Express also say a group of 72 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus were Saturday stopped by the Taliban from boarding an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane to India. An IAF C-130J transport aircraft took off from Kabul with around 85 Indians.
#Update:
¡ª Muslim Shirzad (@MuslimShirzad) August 21, 2021
A Taliban source to me: We didn¡¯t abduct Indians near to Kabul airport, but we took to get them safely to airport.
¡°They escorted to airport through a safe gate by us¡± https://t.co/cvs45xIqpZ
It landed in Dushanbe in Tajikistan for refuelling, before making its way to New Delhi. Meanwhile, the Taliban are likely to unveil a new governing framework for Afghanistan within the next few weeks, a spokesperson said on Saturday.
Group to unveil new governing framework
¡°Legal, religious and foreign policy experts in the Taliban aim to present the new governing framework in the next few weeks,¡± the official told Reuters. Since returning to power in the country, the Taliban has sought to present a more moderate face.
The co-founder of the militant group, 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.
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.
Senior Writer at Indiatimes. She writes on Lifestyle, fashion, beauty, astrology and health.
