Indian Air Force C-130J takes off from Kabul with 85 Indians

An Indian Air Force C-130J transport aircraft on Saturday took off from Kabul with over 85 Indians. It was expected that the government will evacuate some 250 Indians in C-17, but much will depend on ground reality as many of the critical areas to reach the airport are under the watchful eyes of the Taliban, who are manning the movements and checkpoints.

Hyderabad:An Indian Air Force C-130J transport aircraft on Saturday took off from Kabul with over 85 Indians, sources said. The aircraft landed in Tajikistan for refuelling. Indian government officials are helping in the evacuation of Indian citizens on the ground in Kabul.

For the last few days, India has been working closely with the US government to facilitate the movement of the IAF transport aircraft to Kabul.

It was expected that the government will evacuate some 250 Indians, but much will depend on ground reality as many of the critical areas to reach the airport are under the watchful eyes of the Taliban, who are manning the movements and checkpoints.

The government has been putting in coordinated efforts to bring back citizens safely after the Taliban took over the capital city Kabul.

Preliminary reports suggest that over an estimated 400 Indians may need to be evacuated.

India had earlier also picked up its consulate staff from Kandahar after the town was about to be taken over by the Taliban terrorists. The Indian officials from the Kandahar consulate had later stationed themselves in the Kabul embassy and were overseeing work from there.