Taliban Burnt My House, Thank You India For Helping Us, Says Evacuated Afghan Woman

India on Sunday successfully airlifted a total of 168 people, from Afghanistan, that was been ran over by the Taliban last week.

Among this, 107 are Indian nationals, while others are from the Sikh and Hindu religious minorities in Afghanistan.

AP

As the IAF transport aircraft arrived at the Hindan airbase on Sunday, one of them thanked India for helping people like her.

"Situation was deteriorating in Afghanistan, so I came here with my daughter & two grandchildren. Our Indian brothers and sisters came to our rescue. They (Taliban) burnt down my house. I thank India for helping us," the unidentified woman told ANI.

"Situation was deteriorating in Afghanistan, so I came here with my daughter & two grandchildren. Our Indian brothers & sisters came to our rescue. They (Taliban) burnt down my house. I thank India for helping us," says an Afghan national at Hindon Air Force Station, Ghaziabad pic.twitter.com/Pmh1zqZZCB

¡ª ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2021

The situation in Afghanistan is very dangerous for people, with firings and bombings all around. The Taliban cannot be trusted. They are beating up people. We were living in fear," Dipen Sherpa, another evacuee said.

The situation in Afghanistan is very dangerous for people, with firings and bombings all around. The Taliban cannot be trusted. They are beating up people. We were living in fear: Dipen Sherpa, one of the evacuees from Afghanistan, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/Xdv2zFSSXC

¡ª ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2021

An Afghan Sikh parliamentarian was also among those evacuated from Kabul.

MP Narender Singh Khalsa broke down as he told reporters that "everything is now finished."

"I feel like crying...Everything that was built in the last 20 years is now finished. It's zero now," he said.

Reuters

"Situation is very bad. We had to face a lot of difficulties. Thank God for saving our lives as we had to face harrowing times in the last few days. My expectation from the Indian government is that all those who are still stuck are brought back," he said.

"The Taliban used to ask us to remain in Afghanistan saying your security is our responsibility. As there are so many groups of Taliban, we do not know whom to speak to and whom to believe. That's why we decided to leave as the situation is serious," he added.

India had earlier said that members of religious minorities in Afghanistan - Sikhs and Hindus will be welcomed into the country.

Among the evacuees were several children and an infant too. "An infant has also landed in a special IAF flight to India without a passport," an evacuation co-ordinating official told ANI.

#WATCH | An infant was among the 168 people evacuated from Afghanistan's Kabul to Ghaziabad on an Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft pic.twitter.com/DoR6ppHi4h

¡ª ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2021

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, India has flown several evacuation flights to the country.

The first evacuation flight brought back over 40 people, mostly staffers at the Indian embassy, on Monday.

Reuters

The second C-17 aircraft evacuated around 150 people including Indian diplomats, officials, security personnel and some stranded Indians from Kabul on Tuesday.

Another group of 87 Indians and two Nepalese nationals were brought back in a special Air India flight from Dushanbe, a day after they were evacuated to the Tajikistan capital in an IAF aircraft, officials said.

Separately, a group of 135 Indians who were earlier evacuated from Kabul to Doha in the last few days by the US and NATO aircraft, were flown back from Doha to Delhi on a special flight.