India pulls staff from Kandahar amid fierce fighting
July 12, 2021
KABUL: India has evacuated about 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar, the former Taliban bastion in southern Afghanistan, after days of intense fighting, officials and a security source said on Sunday.
The insurgents claimed this week that they now control 85 percent of Afghanistan, much of it seized since early May when US-led foreign forces began their final withdrawal from the country. The Taliban also clashed with government forces this week on the edge of Kandahar city, the capital of Kandahar province, where the hardline movement was born.
“The Consulate General of India has not been closed. However, due to the intense fighting near Kandahar city, India based personnel have been brought back for the time being,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. “This is purely a temporary measure until the situation stabilises. The consulate continues to operate through our local staff members.”