Taliban fighters enter Kabul, India moves to safeguard diplomats, citizens

david waker January 25, 2022

Taliban fighters began to enter Kabul from all sides without facing resistance, the BBC reported. The move came for hours after the Taliban arrested Jalalabad, the last big city in the north which was under the control of the government, without struggle

When Taliban fighters began to enter Kabul on Sunday afternoon as part of their lightning against the government-controlled regions, Indian authorities rushed to ensure the security of hundreds of diplomats and citizens still in Afghanistan.

The speed of the Taliban increase to the capital again took most of the country with a surprise, even though people who were familiar with developments said India was well prepared for all possibilities. The heavy air force aircraft India, especially the Globemaster C-17, has been in standby all the time for several days and can be pressed into short services for evacuation.

The Indian side has anticipated the increase in Taliban to Kabul will take a few more days and media reports about the entry of fighters to the city on Sunday triggered busy consultations, the people quoted above in anonymous.

The plan is also available for the destruction and retrieval of documents and computers at the Indian Embassy, which is the only functional mission in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of staff from the consulate in Herat, Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar for the past of the year.

Taliban fighters began to enter Kabul from all sides without facing resistance, the BBC reported. The move came for hours after the Taliban arrested Jalalabad, the last major city in the north which was under the control of the government, without the struggle.

The Afghan presidential palace said in a message in Pashto posted on his Twitter handle that the situation was “controlled” and Kabul had not been attacked, even though there were several examples of sporadic shootings. Afghan security forces worked with international partners to ensure Kabul’s security.

Taliban, in a statement in Pashto, claimed “all parts of the country have been under the control of the Islamic Emirates”. It was said that group fighters did not intend to enter Kabul, who densely populated, “by force or war, but to enter peacefully”.