India pulls consulate staff out of Kandahar as Taliban advances

dpa New Delhi Officials working at the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Kandahar have been returned home as intense fighting was reported nearby, th...

dpa New DelhiOfficials working at the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Kandahar have been returned home as intense fighting was reported nearby, the Indian government said Sunday.Around 50 staff members, including diplomats and security personnel, were flown to Delhi in an Indian Air Force aircraft on Saturday night.The move comes amid reports of the Taliban advancing towards Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city.In view of “the intense fighting near Kandahar city, India-based personnel have been brought back for the time being. I want to emphasize that this is a purely temporary measure until the situation stabilizes,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said.The Indian consulate general would continue to operate with local staff and arrangements were being made to provide visa and other consular services through the embassy in Kabul.The US-led withdrawal of international troops that is scheduled to be completed by the end of August has left war-ravaged Afghanistan in a state of uncertainty.There are reports of daily attacks and an increase in military offensives by Taliban militants. The Islamic State militia is also active in the country.Despite on-and-off peace talks, the conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan government continues.The embassy had warned Indian nationals in a June advisory to exercise caution with regard to security at their workplace and during travel.India does not have a military presence in Afghanistan but till last year around 1,700 nationals were estimated to be working there with banks, information technology firms, construction companies, aid agencies, Indian-government sponsored projects and UN missions.