News Analysis India

Tag: Taliban

  • President Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan, Taliban seize Presidential Palace

    By Express News Service

    In its lightning sweep of the country, Taliban not just entered capital Kabul on Sunday but also reportedly seized the Presidential Palace hours after President Ashraf Ghani and his deputy Amrullah Saleh fled to Tajikistan. It also meant the western model of democracy in Afghanistan ceased to exist, with the Taliban saying it would soon declare the nation an Islamic Emirate soon. 

    Eyewitnesses said the Taliban met little resistance in their race to the Presidential Palace, just as there was hardly any challenge as they captured provincial capitals in the last few days.  Trying to show a moderate face, the Taliban had earlier in the day made statements about protecting the life and dignity of all people, including women, and not indulging in revenge attacks. But there was no clarity on whether  they meant what they said. 

    All through the day, there were hectic talks on a smooth transfer of power with the government side represented by Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the High Council for National Reconciliation, former president Hamid Karzai, leader of Hizb-e-Islami Gulbudin Hekmatyar. Abdullah Abdullah is a known critic of Ghani.

    Meanwhile, helicopters raced overhead to evacuate personnel from the US Embassy to the Kabul airport. Later in the day, all commercial flights were suspended with only military aircraft being allowed to operate. As for India, it managed to operate a Delhi-bound Air India flight out of Kabul. 

    Panicked residents swarmed banks for a second straight day to withdraw their savings, while many were resigned to the hardliners reimposing rule based on harsh interpretation of Islamic laws. For the tens of thousands who had sought refuge in Kabul in recent weeks after the fall of provinces, the overwhelming mood was one of fear. 

    from prez to exAfghanistan President Ashraf Ghani flies away to Tajikistan. Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council calls him former president

    Russians to stayThe US pulls out diplomats from its Kabul mission using helicopters amid heavy troop presence, but Russia isn’t evacuating, says Taliban promised safety to its embassy

    129 fly to indiaAir India flight with 129 passengers from Kabul lands in Delhi. On the Delhi-Kabul leg of the flight, it had about 40 passengers. Will it be the last flight from there for now?

    taliban takeover While Taliban said their forces will enter some parts of Kabul to prevent looting and chaos, later in the day spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the forces have been allowed to swarm into the city

    Saigon rerun at US embassy? A photo of US army’s Chinook chopper hovering above its Kabul embassy drew comparisons to the rescue mission at Saigon in Vietnam in 1975, where a US pull out had left the country in chaos. However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed the comparisons, saying: “We went to Afghanistan with one mission in mind and that mission has been successful.”

  • India closely monitoring situation in Afghanistan; gearing up to evacuate staff from Kabul

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India is gearing up to evacuate hundreds of its officials and citizens from Kabul after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan, setting the stage for the Taliban to recapture power in the country two decades after a US-led military invasion ousted it in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

    Afghan media reported that Ghani and his close aides have left the country with the Taliban on the brink of seizing control of Kabul after taking over almost all leading cities and provincial capitals.

    As Afghanistan stares at an uncertain future with the imminent fall of Kabul into the hands of the Taliban, several countries including the US and the UK scrambled to evacuate their staff from the city that has been gripped by fear and panic.

    People tracking developments in Afghanistan said India has prepared all contingencies and eventualities including evacuating its staff in its embassy in Kabul as well as Indian citizens stranded in the country.

    It is learnt that a fleet of C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force is kept on standby to undertake evacuation missions.

    ALSO READ | Scrambling Afghan forces, Taliban enter Kabul, await ‘peaceful transfer of power’

    The people cited above said India will not put the lives of its staffers at the embassy and its citizens in Kabul at any risk and plans have already been finalised in case they require emergency evacuation.

    “The government is closely monitoring fast-paced developments in Afghanistan. We will not put the lives of our staff at the Indian Embassy in Kabul at any risk,” said a source.

    However, there is no official comment from India on the fast-paced developments in Afghanistan.

    In the last few days, the Taliban fighters have swept through most parts of the country, seizing control of around 25 of 34 provincial capitals including cities such as Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad.

    Afghan media quoted acting defence minister Bismillah Mohammadi as saying that President Ghani handed the authority of solving the “crisis” in the country to political leaders.

    Mohammadi said that a delegation will travel to Doha on Monday for talks on the country’s situation.

    Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, appeared to criticise Ghani for leaving the country and said “God will hold him accountable and the nation will also judge.”

    Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai said on Twitter that a coordinating council comprising himself, Abdullah Abdullah and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has been formed for transfer of power following President Ghani’s departure.

    Earlier in the day, the Afghan Presidential Palace said on Twitter that the situation was under control in Kabul and it has not been attacked, though there were instances of sporadic gunshots.

    It said Afghan security forces were working with international partners to ensure the security of Kabul.

    “Kabul has not been attacked. The country’s security and defence forces are working together with international partners to ensure the security of the city and the situation is under control,” the statement in Pashto said.

    ALSO READ | President Biden deploys additional 1,000 US troops to aid Afghanistan departures

    Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the Taliban’s onslaught and the imminent fall of Kabul as “heart-wrenching stuff”.

    “We went to Afghanistan 20 years ago with one mission, and that mission was to deal with the folks who attacked us on 9/11. And we have succeeded in that mission,” Blinken told CNN’s “State of the Union” programme.

    “The objective that we set, bringing those who attacked us to justice, making sure that they couldn’t attack us again from Afghanistan – we’ve succeeded in that mission, and in fact, we succeeded a while ago,” he said.

    “And at the same time, remaining in Afghanistan for another one, five, ten years is not in the national interest,” he added.

    The Taliban made rapid advances across Afghanistan by resorting to widespread violence since the United States began withdrawing its troops from the country on May 1.

  • Afghanistan crisis: Air India operates Kabul-Delhi flight with 129 passengers, services not cancelled yet

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Air India’s return flight from Kabul to Delhi departed on Sunday evening with 129 passengers as Taliban forces entered the national capital of Afghanistan and waited for “peaceful transfer” of power.

    Officials of Air India said that there is no plan yet to cancel its Delhi-Kabul-Delhi flight as of now and that it is scheduled to operate on Monday too.

    Currently, only Air India is operating flights between India and Afghanistan.

    The national carrier operated it Delhi-Kabul leg of the flight (with call sign AI-243) on Sunday afternoon with around 40 passengers, officials said.

    Officials said AI-243 departed from Delhi at around 12.45 PM (Indian Standard Time) and had to hover for around one hour above the Kabul airport as it did not get permission to land from the air traffic control (ATC).

    They stated it was not clear what was the reason for the delay in the permission for landing of AI-243.

    Therefore, the flight time for AI-243 on Sunday was around two hours and fifty minutes instead of usual one hour and forty minutes.

    The return flight (with call sign AI-244) departed from the Kabul airport with 129 passengers at around 5.35 PM (Indian Standard Time).

    Officials clarified that there is no plan to cancel Delhi-Kabul-Delhi flight as of now.

    They added that the flight is scheduled to operate on Monday.

    However, they stated that the airline is monitoring the situation closely and it would take appropriate action as required.

    India has put in place contingency plans to evacuate hundreds of its officials and citizens from Kabul that has been gripped by fear and panic following reports of Taliban fighters entering the outskirts of the Afghan capital city on Sunday.

    People familiar with the development said the government will not put the lives of its staffers at the Indian embassy and Indian citizens in Kabul at any risk and plans have already been finalised in case they require emergency evacuation.

  • India has contingency plans: Govt sources on evacuation of staff from Kabul embassy amid Taliban fear

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India has put in place contingency plans to evacuate hundreds of its officials and citizens from Kabul that has been gripped by fear and panic following reports of Taliban fighters entering the outskirts of the Afghan capital city on Sunday.

    People familiar with the development said the government will not put the lives of its staffers at the Indian embassy and Indian citizens in Kabul at any risk and plans have already been finalised in case they require emergency evacuation.

    “The government is closely monitoring the fast-paced developments in Afghanistan. We will not put the lives of our staff at the Indian embassy in Kabul at any risk,” said one of the persons cited above.

    Specifically asked when the Indian staffers and citizens in Kabul will be evacuated, they said decisions will depend on the ground situation.

    ALSO READ | Scrambling Afghan forces, Taliban enter Kabul, await ‘peaceful transfer of power’

    It is learnt that a fleet of the C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force is kept on standby to undertake evacuation missions.

    According to reports from Kabul, Taliban fighters have entered the outskirts of the city, triggering panic and fear among the residents.

    In the last few days, the Taliban fighters have swept through most parts of Afghanistan, seizing control of around 25 of the 34 provincial capitals, including cities such as Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad.

    The Afghan Presidential Palace said on Twitter that the situation is under control in Kabul and it has not been attacked, though there were instances of sporadic gunshots.

    It said the Afghan security forces are working with their international partners to ensure the security of Kabul.

    ALSO READ | President Biden deploys additional 1,000 US troops to aid Afghanistan departures

    “Kabul has not been attacked. The country’s security and defence forces are working together with international partners to ensure the security of the city and the situation is under control,” the statement in Pashto said.

    Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had a telephone conversation with security officials regarding the security of the citizens in Kabul, it said.

    The BBC reported from Kabul, quoting the country’s acting interior minister, that a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government is being prepared.

    As the situation deteriorated in Kabul, the United States and the embassies of several other countries began evacuating their staff from the Afghan city.

  • Afghanistan crisis: India should have adopted pragamatic route, say experts

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Afghanistan watchers feel India should have adapted its Kabul strategy in tune withthe rapid changing scenario ever since the resurgence of the Taliban.

    “India’s policy has been counterproductive ever since the US announced its withdrawal plans. Delhi should have entered into talks with the Taliban once it began offensive and showed signs of success. Even if such talks might have already happened, they shouldn’t have been denied but proudly embraced as the type of flexible pragmatism characteristic of a rising power like India,” Russia-based analyst Andrew Korybko said.

    A former diplomat said India has missed a trick. “It was not expected that the Taliban resurgence would be so rapid but New Delhi should have adapted to the fast-changing scenario. Now, they stand the risk of becoming irrelevant and also due to India’s historical stand.” It was on Thursday that the MEA said India is in touch with all stakeholders in

    Afghanistan, a departure from its previous stand of not establishing contacts with terrorist organisations like the Taliban. This, Korybko asserted,  has led to India isolating itself from the Extended Troika,which in turn greatly diminished whatever remaining influence it had there.

    “As the Taliban sweeps through Afghanistan, India has now surprisingly become practically irrelevant. The Afghan government and military are rapidly collapsing while Delhi has zero influence over the rising Taliban. Even if India and most of the international community doesn’t recognise a Taliban government, they’ll still need to have pragmatic interactions with it.”

    India also stands a risk of losing around $3 billion of its assisted projects with local media suggesting that the Taliban is targeting individuals and projects having links to New Delhi.”India’s strategists need to think long and hard about why they didn’t seize the diplomatic opportunity to talk to the Taliban over the past few months. That mistake is responsible for India losing almost everything it gained in Afghanistan over the past two decades and in less than a month’s time,” Korybko said.

  • World on the edge as the Taliban close in on Kabul

    By Express News Service

    The fall of Kabul looked imminent on Friday with the Taliban intensifying its offensive in Afghanistan by capturing four more provincial capitals in a span of 24 hours. The fundamentalist Islamist militia has now encircled the capital and largest city Kabul and seemed to gain full control of the country much earlier than projected. It already has taken control over two-thirds of the nation including the second and third largest cities Kandahar and Herat. While Kabul has not come under threat yet, it could happen soon.

    Reports say hectic parleys are underway to negotiate a peace deal. The Taliban has said it won’t relent until President Ashraf Ghani steps down. In which case, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Dr Adbullah Abdullah may head a caretaker government for the transition. 

    With the situation remaining fluid, most countries have started evacuating their nationals from Afghanistan. On Friday, Denmark and Finland joined the US,  UK and Canada to pull out their personnel. The US is deploying 3,000 additional troops to help evacuate its personnel. The UK, too, is sending 600 troops. So is Canada. India, however, has no plan to close its embassy in Kabul.  Meanwhile, thousands of Afghan citizens have fled their homes hoping to escape the militia’s brutality. 

    12 nations not to recognise TalibanDuring the Doha talks, 12 countries including India, the US and China decide not to recognise any government that comes to power through violence | P11

  • India hints at holding discussions with Taliban

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Expressing concern at the security situation in Afghanistan, India on Thursday hinted that it is holding discussions with the Taliban. Responding to a question on whether discussions were on with the Taliban, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that New Delhi has been in touch with everybody concerned. “We are in touch with all stakeholders, different stakeholders. I would not like to add anything further,” Bagchi said.

    ALSO READ | Taliban take Afghanistan’s third-largest city in onslaught

    Bagchi’s comments came on a day when India was participating in the regional dialogue on Afghanistan in Doha after being snubbed for the ‘extended troika’ meeting. According to the MEA spokesperson, Joint Secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) JP Singh is attending the meeting in Doha. India was invited to the regional dialogue by Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani, Qatar’s special envoy for counter-terrorism and conflict resolution, during his India visit last week.

    The comments also came on a day when the Taliban captured a 10th provincial capital in Afghanistan in a week. On Thursday, Ghazni, located only 150 kilometres from Kabul, fell to the militant group. US intelligence reports have suggested that the Taliban could capture Kabul within 90 days.

    Meanwhile, New Delhi also said it hoped that an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire would be put in place and urged all Indians to return as soon as possible while adding that a formal evacuation mechanism is not in place.

    ALSO READ | Kabul offers Taliban power-sharing to end violence: Source

    On protecting the minorities in Afghanistan, Bagchi said India is in touch with Hindus and Sikhs. India brought back about 50 officials and citizens from Mazar-e-Sharif amid fighting near the capital of the Balkh province on Wednesday. “Our Consulate continues to be operational with locally recruited staff,” Bagchi said.

    Engineers rescuedThree Indian engineers working at a site in an area not under the control of Afghan government forces, were rescued recently, according to the Indian embassy in Kabul

    No embassy closureIndia does not have plans to shut down its embassy in Kabul and pressed for a comprehensive ceasefire to end the conflict in Afghanistan, said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi

  • Legitimacy cannot be derived from mass violence, brutal intimidation: Jaishankar on Taliban regime

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Legitimacy cannot be derived from mass violence, brutal intimidation or covert agendas in the 21st century, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday in an oblique reference to the widespread violence perpetrated by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

    In an address at an online event, he also underlined the need for a “clear, coordinated and undifferentiated” response to terrorism, saying its “nursery” lies in conflict-ridden spaces.

    Jaishankar said structural inertia, competitive gridlocks, uneven resourcing and skewed navigation have disadvantaged the multilateral institutions, resulting in certain “gaps”.

    “Terrorism thrives in some of these gaps. Its nursery lies in conflict-ridden spaces made fertile for radicalisation by malign players including states,” he said.

    “The transition in Afghanistan that we are seeing today and the warfare that has yet again been forced upon its people has sharpened this challenge. Left unattended, its edge will be deeply felt; not just in Afghanistan’s neighbourhood but well beyond,” he said.

    Jaishankar said all stakeholders need to focus on dealing with the challenges.

    “In the 21st century, legitimacy cannot be derived from mass violence, brutal intimidation or covert agendas.

    Representation, inclusion, peace and stability are inextricably linked,” he said.

    The Taliban has been making rapid advances across Afghanistan by resorting to widespread violence since the US began withdrawing its troops on May 1.

    The US has already pulled back the majority of its forces and is looking to complete the drawdown by August 31.

    India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan.

    It has already invested nearly USD 3 billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country.

    India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.

    It has also been calling upon all sections of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to meet the aspirations of all people in that country including those from the minority community for a prosperous and safe future.

  • Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was executed by Taliban: Report

    By PTI
    WASHINGTON: Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was not simply killed in a crossfire in Afghanistan, nor was he simply collateral damage, but was “brutally murdered” by the Taliban after verifying his identity, according to a report published in a US-based magazine on Thursday.

    Siddiqui, 38, was on assignment in Afghanistan when he died.

    The award-winning journalist was killed while covering clashes between Afghan troops and the Taliban in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar city.

    According to the Washington Examiner report, Siddiqui travelled with an Afghan National Army team to the Spin Boldak region to cover fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban to control the lucrative border crossing with Pakistan.

    When they got to within one-third of a mile of the customs post, a Taliban attack split the team, with the commander and a few men separated from Siddiqui, who remained with three other Afghan troops.

    During this assault, shrapnel hit Siddiqui, and so he and his team went to a local mosque where he received first aid.

    As word spread, however, that a journalist was in the mosque, the Taliban attacked. The local investigation suggests the Taliban attacked the mosque only because of Siddiqui’s presence there, the report said.

    “Siddiqui was alive when the Taliban captured him. The Taliban verified his identity and then executed him, as well as those with him. The commander and the remainder of his team died as they tried to rescue him,” it said.

    “While a widely circulated public photograph shows Siddiqui’s face recognizable, I reviewed other photographs and a video of Siddiqui’s body provided to me by a source in the Indian government that show the Taliban beat Siddiqui around the head and then riddled his body with bullets,” wrote the writer Micheal Rubin, who is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

    The Taliban’s decision to hunt down, execute Siddiqui, and then mutilate his corpse shows that they do not respect the rules of war or conventions that govern the behaviour of the global community, the report said.

    Siddiqui won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 as part of the Reuters team for their coverage of the Rohingya crisis.

    He had extensively covered the Afghanistan conflict, the Hong Kong protests and other major events in Asia, Middle East, and Europe.

    Siddiqui was laid to rest at the Jamia Millia Islamia graveyard where a sea of mourners gathered to pay their last respects.

    His body arrived at the Delhi airport in the evening of July 18 and was later brought to his residence in Jamia Nagar where a huge crowd, including his family and friends, had gathered.

  • ‘Taliban action will have consequences’: Afghanistan issue dominates Blinken-Jaishankar ties

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Afghanistan situation dominated the discussions between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the External Affairs Minister on Wednesday.

    Blinken, who is on a two-day visit to India, said that the future of Afghanistan cannot be written with violence and denial of the basic rights of its people.

    “It’s deeply troubling to see Taliban actions as it advances on city centres. We are supportive of the Afghan government and the Afghan forces. The leader of the Taliban wants to travel across the world and there is only one way of doing that. Taking the country by forces is not the path for the Taliban to reach its objectives,” the secretary of state said after the meeting with Jaishankar.

    Amid the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, Jaishankar said that the action will have consequences and that they have to be dealt with. The minister further said that there was a broad consensus between countries regarding peace and stability in the war-torn country. In an apparent reference to Pakistan, the minister said there were some exceptions.

    Indo-US analyst Harinder Sekhon said that the gains of the past two decades would not be lost if the US could guarantee that the Indian interests, worth $3 billion, in the war-torn country are not harmed. “The Taliban resurgence has made the US recommit itself to continued support to Afghanistan through air and financial support. It, however, remains to be seen if these measures will deter the Taliban and the role Russia and China can play there,” she said.

    ALSO READ | In move likely to irk China, US Secretary of State Blinken meets Tibetan leader in Delhi

    On the discussions on the Quad, both leaders emphasized the bilateral cooperation within the bloc with regard to vaccines and a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region. “In a globalised world, India’s interests are far beyond borders, we have interests in the Indo-Pacific. It’s not unusual for groups of countries to work together. BRICS is an example of this. Other countries should get over the idea that a grouping is against them,” the Foreign Minister said.

    Earlier in the day, Blinken held a civil society roundtable where he met leaders of the Central Tibetan Administration and also called on National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He also had an interaction with the staff of the US mission in India.

    “The Indian people and the American people believe in human dignity, equality in opportunity, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion and belief.  We believe that all people deserve to have a voice in their government and be treated with respect no matter who they are.  Theseare fundamental tenets of democracies like ours, and our purpose is to give real meaning to these words and constantly renew our commitment to these ideals,” he told members of the civil society.

    Later in the day, he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who welcomed the Joe Biden administration’s commitment to bilateral ties. “Good to meet US Secretary of State @SecBlinken today. I welcome President Biden’s strong commitment to strengthening the India-US Strategic Partnership, which is anchored in our shared democratic values and is a force for global good,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

    Blinken will head back to the US via Kuwait.